Where do we go from here 9: new lessons
by zantha19
Summary: Aang with much pushing from Toph, is about to take on his first airbending student. How will he deal with passing on lessons he learned from someone very important to him.
1. Chapter 1

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Hey. Thank you for reading, I hope you will like this story. This is part nine in the on going story I am writing. This is also the second of the five new parts that I am adding to the story. The story in this part will deal with Aang taking on his first young airbending student, with Toph's help. As this is a new part I don't have it all locked down yet. I have the start and end worked out, and a few bites in the middle. So if anyone has any ideas for the story training ideas or anything I would love to hear them. It goes without saying I think for those that have read the other eight parts before this one, but all comments and ideas are very welcome.

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It was a cold fall night and Aang more than anything wanted to be in his warm bed. Instead he as quietly as he could possible be walked along the dark narrow corridors of Bumi's palce in Omashu. He and Toph had spent the remainder of the summer in Omashu after they had dealt with Long Feng. Toph had a lot of work that she had to catch up on with Bumi. It seemed that when Aang had arrived to ask her for her help in dealing with Long Feng, she had been in the middle of important meetings with the king regarding her training of the new recruits of the earth kingdom army. There was also another issue that she and Bumi had been discussing. They had told Aang about this issue a few night ago, when he had been trying to make plans with Toph about where they should go next. His reaction to the issue and his view on it was very different to what Toph had expected.

Aang waited behind a pillar in the main hall of the palace, as he waited to be alone in the hall before he moved again. Aang had been unable to sleep, and as he looked out of his window, onto the grounds at the back of the palace, he found his attention focused onto the long window on the ground floor that lead along the back wall of the palce. It was a corridor that the servants mainly used, as it linked onto all the main rooms on the ground floor like the main hall, dinning room and kitchen. The corridor also lead to one of two small staircase that lead down to the hidden part of the palce. This was were Bumi held meetings of the order of the white lotus or other equal important meetings. There was also a small library down there too, it was in this library that Toph had found the scrolls that taught her how to bonebend. As he looked into the corridor he saw a figure moving along the corridor. This in it's self would not be strange, but the figure didn't seem to have any real shape to it, because it was wearing a clock. Why would someone wear a clock inside, unless they didn't want to be seen.

When he felt the servant that was crossing the main hall after finishing cleaning the dinning room leave the hall, Aang slipped out from behind the pillar and crossed the main hall to the door that lead to the other staircase down to the lower level. He was sure this was where the clocked figure was going. By taking the other staircase he would be able to head them off. As he turned from the staircase onto the long narrow corridor that ran right under the palce, Aang saw the figure turning into the library a few feet ahead. The clock most be very long as it trailed along the floor for a long time before it completely entered the library. Letting out a quite sigh Aang bent the air under his feet to carrying him along the corridor, so he wouldn't be heard by the figure. He wanted to keep the element of surprise, especially now that he was starting to put everything together.

As he looked into the small library, that's walls were all cover by shelves of scroll, Aang saw the clocked figure kneeling down in the centre of the room. There were two scroll on their left side, and one they were pulling open now. Taking in a deep breath, Aang using the air around him moved in a split second to be standing on the left hand side on the kneeling figure. His right hand was held out straight by his side, with a small dagger in his hand. The blade was held out away from him, resting a inch away from the figures throat. "What are you doing here."

The figure could simply move away from the dagger at their throat, it was no real restraint. Aang just wanted to make his presence felt more strongly. He may not want to really hurt the person, but he did want to stop what they were doing. The figure moved their head a little closer to the dagger, as they answered Aang's question. "What you should be doing."

With almost the same speed as Aang had entered the room with, the figure spun on their heels, ducking there head under the dagger then took hold of Aang's right wrist, before lunging themselves off the floor. Forcing Aang back a few steps till he was pushed up against the wall, with the dagger still in his hand and held up to his throat, because of the hold the figure still had on his wrist. In the course of their movements the figures hood had fallen down, to reveal a head of black hair most of which now fell over their shoulders, and covered most of their white face. "It's your job after all."

"It's not that simple." Aang tried to find her eyes under her hair, but was having little luck. "Toph."

He had been almost certain the figure was Toph since he saw her enter the library.

Toph tighten her grip on his wrist, moving the dagger a little closer to the avatars throat. Unlike when he had held it to her throat, he couldn't easily get away from the dagger, without hurting her. Which he really didn't want to do. "How is it not simple, it seems pretty straight forward to me."

His grey eyes finally found her faded green ones. "Of course it would, you don't understand..."

"I understand that you are a coward. That you have two things that yo have to do as the avatar. Both of which ultimately are about bring balance to the world. You have done one, but she are being a coward..."

"I'm not a coward." Aang was starting to feel the anger washing over him. He institutionally moved his head closer to hers, but was stopped by the cold feel of the dagger on his throat. She didn't try and move his hand back as he move closer to the blade. This scared him a little, but also made him angrier.

"Fine, your not a coward. Your just lazy then." Everyone had a limit, a point that they can be pushed too until they react. Toph was getting dangerously close to reaching Aang's. No one else, except the former fire lord had pushed him this far. No one else would dare too. Toph wasn't scared of him, avatar or not. She had made that clear when they had been searching for Long Feng. What she realised was what he needed someone to tell him what they really thought of him, when he was making the wrong choice. Most people were to scared of his reaction to this kind of information so they wouldn't to it. Toph in a way saw this as her new role with Aang. At first she had been his teacher, now she had to be a trusted adviser that would tell him the truth no matter what. She didn't want this role, but slowly she started to realise she was the only one that was willing to take in on.

Aang's mouth opened ready to defined himself, but she spoke again. "You just want to take a break. You have been doing so much for so long. You need a rest." Their was a tone in her voice that he wasn't used too. She was mocking him, but with such a caring voice. "Well tough. We have all been working, some more others." This was a insult directed right at him. "I have at least thirty-five students right now. Katara has sixteen. You are being asked to take on one."

This was what all of this was about. One of the first things Bumi had done after he was crowed king of Omashu, was to collect any information he could find on any air nomads that had escaped the attacked by the fire nation. There went many but there was a few. The majority of them created new lives for themselves in the earth kingdom, where is was safest. Some married and had children, and now grand and great grandchildren. None of these descendants of air nomads had show any signs of being able to airbend, but that didn't mean they couldn't if they had a teacher. Bumi had kept new records of this new generation, he hoped that when he returned Aang would use them to find and teach a new generation of airbenders. This was not the kind of thing you bring up out of the blue, he needed to really talk to Aang about it, so he waited for the right time. Toph had come across the records while she had been learning to bonebend. After talking to Bumi about it all, she had started her search for Aang, to bring him back to do his job. This of course was only part of why she searched for him.

When all of this was explained to Aang a few night ago he had been shocked. He didn't believe it at first. Once he finally did, he let them know that he didn't want to have anything to do with there plan. Of course he wanted one day for there to be air nomads again, but he also believed that bending whatever element was not something you force on someone, it had to come naturally. The fact that none of these proposed students had shown any sign of airbending was a sign that the world wasn't ready for airbending to come back fully yet. There was also a more personal reason for his choice as well. Gyatso had been the one to teach him most of what he knew about airbending

that information was only now known by him. To him it was the last link he had with his first sifu, and he didn't want to lose it by having to share it with anyone else. He also had great faith that the world would find another way to rebalance it's self in time.

"This isn't the only way." His voice came out weak, when he had intended it to be strong. He let his head fall back till it hit the wall behind him. That was how he felt right now, like he was hitting his head against a brick wall. He couldn't understand why he kept finding himself in this position, fighting with Toph over what they felt was the right course of action. "I don't want to fight with you over this."

"Neither do I." Her head seemed to lower a little as she spoke. "But I will never stop doing what I believe in, even if it's against you I will always fight for what I believe is right."

Her voice was laced with steely determination, he knew she meant every word she said. She had softened a little since he cam back. Gone was the tough tomboy, she was now a poised caring, yet still determined strong, young women, and avatar or not he couldn't afford to underestimate her. The worst part about this was that they both fully understood the reasons for the others actions, and felt for them but wouldn't change their own. He knew that in her own way she was trying to help him. Getting him to form a bound with someone through one of the most important things to him, airbending. He was still not going to back down though.

"I know, and I feel the same." Despite being the one held with a dagger at his throat, his words still came out as a threat. Letting her know that if he had to he would fight her too. Toph didn't miss this, she didn't let it scare her though. In fact in a way she was a little thrilled by the idea of facing Aang again. She had always liked to push herself, and what could be more of a test for you strength than to go up against the avatar. She still didn't see him as much of an earthbender, but she wouldn't make the mistake of underesmating him.

She couldn't hide her frustration though, letting out a loud sigh out of sure annoyance, she lowered her hand, that still held Aang's wrist and pushed it towards his chest as she let it go. Turning to leave before she did or said something that she may regret later. Aang had moved away from the wall, and was about to reach down to pick up the two scrolls that remained on the floor, when he turn to watch Toph leave. He saw her standing with her back to him facing the door. Her right hand was held out her palm facing upwards, like she was waiting for him to hand her something. A small smile crossed his face as he caught onto what she meant. Turning to face her back, he lifted the dagger up and throw it to hit the half open door in-front of her. It ended up hitting the door an inch above the level of her hand.

The dagger was the dagger that Toph had taken from the fire nation noble man, that had tried to threaten her with it so she wouldn't marry Zuko. In the end she hadn't married Zuko, but that had nothing to do with being threatened like that. Aang had stopped at Toph's room on his way to the lower level, if she had been there he would have asked for her help, if she wasn't then he would know for sure if it was her he had seen or not. The room of course had been empty. He had noticed the dagger on the table by the door, and without fully knowing why picked it up.

Toph moved forward removing the dagger from the door, and attaching it to her belt. "Stay out of my room." She didn't turn to face him as she spoke she just kept walking. Again feeling himself getting worked up, Aang moved to pick up the two scrolls from the floor. When he was standing with them in his hands a unpleasant realisation hit him, there had been three scrolls. She had taken out three scrolls, and now walked away with one. Throwing the scrolls on the ground with more force than he had intended, Aang took off after Toph.

When he reached the main hall he stopped, leaning against a pillar. What would running after her now achieve, what could she do with one scroll anyway. As he started to gain control of his breathing Aang looked out of the large glass double doors at the back of the hall. He saw a light pouring out from a window at the top of one of the palace towers. He knew that the room the light was coming from was Bumi's private study. He had to put a end to this once and for all, and if Toph wouldn't listen then he believed Bumi would. Pushing himself off the pillar Aang mad his way up the main staircase that would start to lead him to Bumi's office. He had to make his position on this matter perfectly clear so there would be no mistaking that he was not going to be swayed in away way.


	2. Chapter 2

It was anger and frustration more than anything that was moving Aang up the long staircase to towards Bumi's private study. He had been unable to sleep, but the second he started to follow the clocked Toph all he wanted to do was go back to his bed and sleep. He wasn't really mad at them, he expected things like this from them, being so stubborn. Getting an idea in their heads then not letting it go. No he was just frustrated, like Toph had said he just wanted to rest, to not have worry about being the avatar for a little while. She of course had been a little harsher with her view of the situation. That was another thing he expected from her, to always tell him the truth, even when it was hard to hear. If it would have done any good he would have told her why he was so against the idea of taking on a student, but she wouldn't understand. How could someone that had to lean all that they knew by themselves understand the bound that a student feels towards their teacher. She was a teacher yes, but he doubted she understood what that really meant, what it meant to him, how important she was to him because of all that she had taught and shared with him.

The faint light from the candle streamed out from under the closed door. Not stopping to knock, Aang opened the door and walking right through. From the look on his face in the faint light, it was clear to Bumi that his old friend was troubled. He didn't have to guess what it was that was troubling him. It was clear to him from the way Toph had been acting all day that she too was getting frustrated with the current situation and was about to do something. "Why so glum."

The room was small, so Aang didn't have to take many steps before he stood right in-front of the desk Bumi was sitting at, with a large open window behind him. Aang resting both of his hands on the desk, lowering his head till it was level with the kings. "I want you to tell Toph to stop pushing this. She was just in the private library, looking at the reports. I will do what I feel is right in the right time, now is neither."

Totally unfazed by the intimidating voice and action of the airbender, Bumi leaned back into his chair. A look of complete calm on his face as he responded with an equally calm voice. "Are you sure about that."

"Yes." His voice now came through gritted teeth.

"Why is that."

Aang had to concentrate on his breathing and clench his hands, to stop himself from yelling or lashing out. "Stop asking me all these question, I don't have to explain myself on this. Just make Toph stop forcing this on me." Aang pushed himself up to his full hight, looking down on his oldest friend.

"You and I both know that there is no making our young grand master earthbender do anything she doesn't want to do." There was something about the fact that Bumi didn't seem to be affected at all by his obvious anger that was making Aang angry and at the same time more aware of how strongly he was acting. "That is what you rely on her for isn't it. You need her to tell you the truth, so you feel your making the right choices."

"I'm not ready to be a teacher. Your right I do look to Toph to help be make the right choices, because she is completely unbiased and has no hidden agenda. So I know that she will tell me how things really are. How can I be a teacher to someone else when I still have a lot to learn myself, and need someone else help so much to make important chooses."

Much to Aang's surprise a smile crossed Bumi's face as he let out a soft laugh. "What makes you think you are so special. We are all still learning, teacher or not. No one ever knows everything, not even a avatar. Take me for example, I still have to learn the first thing about etiquette and how to act in high society. Toph may know all of that, but she doesn't know how to show any kind of real feels of hers. She can read them in others, but cant show them herself. She also has never learned to ask from help." Unknown to both men this had been said about Toph before, by a good friend of all of theirs.

"Just get Toph to drop it." He wasn't angry enough to not have listened to what Bumi had just said. Even though he didn't say it he knew Bumi was right, and he appreciated being told it. Knowing deep down that this had been a pointless conversation in terms of him making his point and having it understood, Aang turned and left as quickly as he had arrived.

Bumi was a busy man, since Toph had refused to take on the title of grand master of the white lotus society after Iroh's death the job had fallen to him. Most likely it would remain his title till she finally took it. Most nights he stayed up in his study trying to catch up on all the work that seemed to contently be building up. Letting out the deep breath he had been holding since Aang moved to level the old earthbender fell back into his chair again. "You can come in you now."

"I think it's safer if I stay out here. If I come in I might do something that will case an international incident." Her voice was a little hard to hear through the window, but he couldn't miss the genuine threat in her tone.

Toph had been listening to the whole conversation, from a platform she had bent out of the wall by the window. When she had left she had been heading to her room, she felt Aang's footsteps coming after her. She hadn't started to run, she stopped in her tracks, if he wanted to continue their talk then that was fine with her. As she waited she had felt him stop, and change direction. She had a good idea were he was heading. Toph had stopped to wait for Aang a few feet from a side door that lead out of the servants corridor onto the grounds of the palace. She went throw the door out into the grounds, walked a few feet away from the palace walls. Then turned back to face the palace, she ran toward the palace. Lifting her right leg up onto the wall, while pushing off with the left. Connecting with the earth under her feet she ran up the side of the wall, her hair and clock falling down behind her. She ran past the window, turned round to face the ground bending the wall with her right hand to form the platform she would land on when she stopped bending the earth through her feet.

Bumi had know she was there the whole time. He had worried Aang may find out too, but he was to angry to notice her presence. Some of what he had said had been for her benefit as well as Aang's. He wondered if that was why she was angry, that he had tried to lecture her or it was just that he hadn't tried to change Aang's mind.

"This was all your work, the reports. Finding the descendants of the air nomads, for the purpose of having them taught how to airbend. Are you just going to give up on that."

Bumi as unconventional as he was, was not used to talking to someone he couldn't see through a window. He moved the chair round so he could look out the window. He hadn't realised how late it had gotten. "I'm not giving up on that hope. He says this is not the right time to try to rebuild the air nomad nation. As the avatar and the last airbender, why should we not let him he the judge of this."

"Because he's scared he doesn't want to fail, and he thinks he will."

Again the genuine smile crossed the kings face at the actions of the younger generation. "That sounds very familiar." Toph had a very good idea what he was hinting at. She felt her hand clench against the wall she was leaning on. "If I remember rightly then, the reason I'm currently the grand master of the order of the with lotus, was because you weren't ready to take on that job."

If it was possible Toph sank back further into the wall. "That it totally different." Her voice came out like she was trying to convince herself of this as well. "There are other people that are better suited to that job, like you. Aang is the only one that can do this job."

Bumi had expected this reaction from her, but he felt he had to push the point a little more. "Your wrong, you are the only one that can lead the order into a..."

"I get it ok. You and Iroh both seem to think that I am the one that will lead the order into a new age of peace with the four nations, but I'm not. I am not a leader, I am better on my own."

"You and the avatar make a good team though." He was less able to see through the earth than Aang was, so he couldn't tell what her reaction was to what he had just said. She was silent, so he spoke again. "I do understand. The order was important to Iroh...and your grandfather and mother. You are worried your not good enough to be a big part of something that the people that made you who you are cared so much about. Your wrong though, Iroh had faith in you, and so do I. You just need faith in yourself. You read people so easily, yet you cant see your self at all."

Toph let her mouth open to speak, but no words cam out. She tried to think of what to say in response to what Bumi had just said, there really wasn't anything to say. He was right and she knew that, so she was silenced. Despite how Hypocritically she was being, she was still not going to back down or change her mind on either subject. She was not going to let Aang avoid doing what he had to do and she was not going to risk ruining something that was so important.

"Sometimes you don't have to push so hard, sometimes all you need is a gentle push." A smile almost crossed Toph's face at this, he sounded just like Iroh. The only difference was that she understood what he was trying to say perfectly. He was telling her to stop pushing so hard with Aang, in time a little encouragement would be all that was needed to get him to act. Toph however wasn't that patient really, despite practising and teaching it. Lifting her right leg up to rest on the wall, she then pushed off with that leg sending her in to a free fall from the platform."That wasn't what I meant about a gentle push."

Bumi wasn't worried about Toph falling, she would soften the earth to land on before she hit it. He was more worried about what she was going to do after she landed, what would she do next to get Aang to act. He liked to see the affect the young earthbender had on his old friend. She made him more assertive, and told him what he need to hear no matter what. She also had an influence on him, one that either was really aware off, or fully understood. Iroh had his view of this, and the more he saw them together the more Bumi was agreeing with it. This influence could be dangerous as she was not the most moral person, and this could lead Aang onto trouble. Even with all of this, Bumi believed in the two young friends. They would find there way, and if they stumbled along the way it would serve as a life lesson that they would learn from and grow because of it.

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**Thank you fore reading. I know that not a lot has happened in the story yet. I just felt that a few things had to be set up before we get to the new airbender and the training, so it will make sense. Also as this is close to the half way point I felt that a few things that are going to come back and be important later on so they should be called back a little now. Like Toph being asked to leading the order of the white lotus, and the idea or theory that Iroh had about Toph and Aang, mainly Toph's importance. **

**I would like to ask a question, at this point too, what to you think about the relationship between Toph and Aang. If you haven't read the story the first time, dose it fit with the way they have been with each other since part one. If you have read the story before, do they seem on track for what will happen later on. Are they to close now, or not close enough simply. Thank you, and sorry for the rubbish attempt at humour at the end. **


	3. Chapter 3

The bright autumn sun streamed in through the window, casting a pool of light over the bed Aang was sleeping in. once the light reached the head of the bed, the light started to wake the sleeping airbender. It had taken a long time for Aang to fall asleep, and as he started to wake he rolled over avoiding the light as much as he could, trying to hold onto sleep a little longer.

Toph hadn't slept well either, she had woken in the night due to an odd dream. She had been in what seemed like a small house. There was a fire burning and a bucket full of water on the table in the centre of the room. That house seemed to be made of large stones and the roof was of wood. She could see the trees and plants that grew around the house. She slowly waked around the room she was in, letting her fingers drift over everything near her. Slowly she started to become aware of a shortness of breath. It seemed to get harder for her to fill her lungs with enough air. Her hand went up to her throat, trying dispiritedly to find any sign of something that was choking her. She found nothing. Her legs started to give out under her, holding onto the table by her side with her free hand, Toph tried to control the many breaths she was taking in. the air seemed to be so thin around her, her head began to swim she lost sight of the earth around her. Her legs finally gave out and she feel to the ground. Before she felt herself crash onto the ground, Toph awake and sat bolt up right in her bed. Her heart was racing and her breathing was strained. It took her a while to regain control of her breathing, reminding herself that there was enough air for her to breath. When she was calm again, she left her bed, dressed and left the room. She was tired of waiting around, she was going to have to do something herself to get Aang to act.

When Aang finally gave in, admitting that sleep was not going to come again he pulled himself out of bed. He set his eyes on the chair by the window, were he had left his pack with his clothes in it and his sleeping bag. Momo had been sleeping on the pack when he returned to his room last night, but he was now gone and so was his pack. He didn't have to think very hard about what had happened. Dressing in his other set of robes, Aang crossed the corridor to Toph's room. Like the night before it was empty, unlike the night before though her pack that had been lying on the floor at the bottom of her bed was also gone. Clenching his hand shut he turned to leave, as he did, he bit the door with as much force as he could without breaking the door or hurting himself.

Again he didn't really have to think very hard about were Toph was, or what was going on. Aang made his way out of the palace and out into the court-lard at the side of the palace, with such purpose many of the servants that had been walking the corridors had to move quickly out of his way to avoid being run into. The sun hurt his eyes as he stepped outside. He had to squint his eyes to be able to look towards the person he wanted to talk to. "Toph!" Aang stopped a few feet away from Appa, who had been let out of the stables were he had been staying. In the back of his mind he felt guilty that he hadn't greeted his oldest friend, he was just to angry.

"Yes twinkles." Toph's voice came out calm and totally unaffected by his tone. He looked up to where he heard the voice. Toph slowly appeared standing up inside the saddle on Appa's back. She had been sitting down looking over the scroll with the information on the person she was going to see. She had read the scroll so many times the ink was starting to stain her fingers, she was really just waiting for Aang to arrive.

The night before she had dressed packed her things, then creped into Aang's room and taken his things, Making sure he would have to look for her. "What are you doing." his voice had calmed but his anger was still clear.

Still Toph took no notice of this. She bent down to pick up the scroll she had been looking over. Momo who had been resting in her lap while she had been sitting, now took the opportunity to climb up her arm and sit on her shoulder. "Just reading this." Toph swung her right arm back and threw the scroll down to Aang who was just able to catch it. Her aim was as you would expect horrible when not on the ground.

Aang didn't have to look at the scroll to know that it was one of the ones she had taken from the library last night. "Why are you giving me this."

"Why do you think." The grin on her face was getting to him. His hand tightened around the scroll till he thought of a way to get the grin of her face. He lifted his right hand that held the scroll out in-front of himself. Then lifted his left up, bending a small flame in his palm as he did. He didn't know if she could she what he was doing, but he had a feeling she would. "You don't want to do that."

She spoke just before the fire came within an inch of the scroll.

"No what I want to do is put a end to all of this. Burning this scroll will go some way too...

"No it won't." Aang let his arms fall to his side, curious as to what she was talking about. "You know what's on that scroll. It's the report on a air nomad that survived the fire nation attack. It had information on the family he started. He has a great grandson now, he's twelve. His names Yunru. That means cloud like doesn't it. Which is a pretty big..."

"Toph!" He hadn't fallen for her simple minded trick, acting like she was the simple minded girl most people would think she was because she was born into a noble family. She always seemed to know more about what was going on than anyone else, so there was no way she would really act like that.

Toph let out sigh and rolled her eyes. In all honestly she didn't really believe that Aang would fall for her act, but it still annoyed her. "I'm going to see him, and you shouldn't burn that scroll, because it will tell you were your going."

"I'm not going..."

"Yes you are."

Aang gritted his teeth breathing deeply from his nose to try and calm himself. He started to move closer to Appa now. "Toph, I understand what your trying to do, but I'm not going to take on a student." He didn't really understand, he was just trying to get her to stop this, and move closer to her to get her off Appa without her really noticing. He hoped Toph wouldn't be able to see threw his lie.

Toph moved back a little in the saddle, while Aang moved closer. "The way I see it, you have three choices. The first and simplest is you shut up and just come with me, and do what you now is right. Second you can just let me go."

"You are going to go alone, your going to teach him how to airbend." Hearing him say it old loud make it sound all the more strange.

Toph even felt the need to say something to defined herself, but was able bite her tongue and continue with what she was saying. "You know I took that scroll last night right" while she spoke she reached into the black clock she was wearing again and puled out another scroll. "But you didn't know I took this one too." A smug grin now crossed her face. Toph had hidden this scroll in her clock just as she was leaving the library. She hadn't been sure she had got away with it till she was back in her room. She now held it up in the air. "This one has all the basic airbending stances. I know it's not the same, but at least it's something." The scroll was then put back in its place in her clock. "The third choice is the most difficult. Use that scroll to catch up to me and Appa, and stop me."

So many questions ran through Aang's head. Was she really going to try and teach someone to airbend, how was she going to get there. There was no way she could guild Appa by herself. The last one, the one that kept coming back to him know louder than the others, was am I really doing the right thing. He shock this off, getting anger with her for making him doubt his decision. He hated how she always seemed to get into his head.

"I should also let you know that following me isn't going to be as easy as you may think." Aang couldn't see Toph from the about the waist down, so he didn't see her leg move to kick his glider up from the floor of the saddle. He only saw it appearing up in the air and being caught in Toph's right hand. He was about to bend himself up to get his glide back, when Toph spoke again. "Not so fast, I'm not giving you this back. That would make following me to easy. Wouldn't it." This was a rhetorical question but that didn't stop Toph from pausing a little in case he wanted to say something. As she spoke she spun the glider round in her hand. When it was clear he was to angry to say anything she went on. "So what is it going to be."

She was pushing him, she could tell. He was about to snap, to lash out. That was part of the reason she had taken the glider away from him, to make sure there would be a distance between them. The longer the silence went on the more Toph felt exposed. She felt like Aang's eyes were burning right through her. She had never really felt anyone look at her this way, it was very unsettling. Her mouth opened to say something, but it shout very quickly she didn't trust her voice to come out as strong as she wanted it to. She spun the glider one last time, before moving it behind her back.

"I am going to say this one last time, give me back my glider."

"Give me an answer first, what have you chosen."

Before Toph had a chance to move back, Aang bent the earth under his feet to send in him into the air. He landed on the saddle just an inch in front of Toph. Her mouth opened slightly as she tried to think of something to say. Her eyes had opened wider than normally with the shock, being blind didn't stop that natural reaction. Aang looked down at her, right into her wide open eyes. "Toph." His voice wasn't harsh or angry any more, but it was stern.

Finally able to compose herself, Toph took a small step back. The glider still held tightly in her hand. "Answer." Her voice came out just as stern as his, but with an added grin.

Aang took in a deep breath as he closed his eyes. He was surprised by how much he had had to stop himself from psychically lashing out at Toph. Also by how easily that feeling had slipped away when he looked into her eyes. Despite not agreeing with her, he knew she was only trying to do what she felt was right. He admired that about her, envied that he couldn't be more like that. Reluctantly he met her eyes again. To him it looked like she was pleading with him to do as she asked. She would never say it out loud, but he could tell from her eyes that was what she was doing, begging him. Letting out a frustrated sigh he turned and moved to Appa's head. Toph slowly moved over to the edge of the saddle directly behind him, as he lowered himself to sit cross-legged and took up the rains.

Once they were a few feet in the air, Aang pulled out the scroll with their distinction on it. It was only then that Toph let herself relax, and moved to sit down with her back to Aang. He maybe doing what she wanted, but she knew that he wasn't happy about it. The point was that he was doing it, no matter what he thought. She never gave why he was doing it much thought, she wouldn't let herself. It scared her what it could be, and she didn't want to deal with that. She just had to be happy that he was doing the right thing.

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**Thank you for reading, hope you liked it. Sorry it has taken so long for me to update. I never really meant to, but I feel like I should ask any way, do you think I should explain the meaning of the dreams Toph has or not. I'll explain this one though, the house represents the four elements, with that lack of air. I' am that was very obvious anyway, but worry a little that if things like that are not clear than it makes the rest of the story unclear. So let me know what you think, when there's a dream, should I explain it. If you have any other comment so would always love to hear them too. Also if you have read the eight parts before this one and don't understand the meaning of a dream I out in, then let me know which one and I will tell you. Again thanks for reading, and please review. **


	4. Chapter 4

Toph tried many times to say something to Aang, but ever time she tried no words came out. She was sitting with her back to him, but she could still feel how tense he was. He was holding onto the rains so tightly his knuckles were white. A small feeling of guilt was washing over Toph the longer the silence went on. She had to remind herself of how she had ended up leaving to teach him earthbending in the first place. She was worried about what that would case. How her father would react, she didn't feel ready. He had been relentless though, and in the end she left with him and the others. She was just doing the same thing now, making sure he did the right thing. Helping him live up to his potential. No matter how many times she told herself all of this, it never stopped her from realising that this was a very different situation, and that she was the last person that should be forcing someone to do what they had to. She couldn't even make herself honer a final wish of someone very important, and take on the job of master of the white lotus. Something in the back of her mind keep telling her that this was to important for her to worry about being a hypocrite about, she just had to make sure that Aang did this.

She was about to try and say something again, when she felt Appa begin his descent to the earth below. She felt like they had been flying for days, but now that she thought it over she wasn't sure they had travelled far enough to reach their distinction. There was nothing she could do about it though, all she could do was sit back and let Aang take the lead from now on.

He didn't even offer her a hand to the ground once they landed, like he had always done. Toph never took him up on his offer, she wouldn't have this time either, but the absence of the gesture worried her. She kept a few paces behind him as they walked towards the house a few feet away. Aang had landed them in a filed a few feet away from the village his student lived in. he was making his way towards the nearest house, that stood on the outskirts of the village. He reached the front-door and before he moved to knock it. He finally spoke to Toph. "Wait here, I'll look for him and bring him back to Appa." He didn't even turn to look at her.

Toph gave a silent nod and turned to face away from the house. She felt a small fallen tree a couple of feet away, and moved to sit on it. She wasn't sitting for long before she felt someone running towards her.

The door had been answered by a middle aged women, who's hair has started to grey a little and was pulled into a tight braid. There was no need to ask who it was that had knocked on her door. Without saying a word she pulled the door opened further and moved out of the way to let him enter. Aang walked into the house, his eyes became set on a painting on the wall facing the door. It was of a little girl sitting under a cherry blossom tree. The image seemed mixed with one he had of Toph. It was an image of her the night of the ball in Ba Sing Sa, the last time all six of them had been together. He had found her sitting under a cherry blossom tree in the grounds of the place. "What can I do for you avatar Aang." The women had been walking slowly up behind him as he looked at the painting. She was now standing a few inches to his side, her eyes half on him and half on the painting. "Avatar Aang."

Her gentle voice pulled Aang from hid thoughts. He slowly pulled his eyes away from the painting and turned to face the older women. "Sorry. I need to know if you know someone called Yunru."

An odd look came over the women's face, Aang wasn't sure what it meant till she spoke, as she nodded her head a little. "Yes, he's my son."

There was something about the the footsteps of the person that was running towards her, that brought a faint smile to Toph's face. His footsteps were almost as light as Aang's had been when he was twelve. Toph was never one for signs or fate, but she had to take this as a sigh. The person they were looking for was running right towards her, she didn't even have to try and look for him. He slowed down a little as he got closer to her, but didn't stop. "My friends talking to your mother right now. I would leave them to it." Yunru was just over a foot from the fallen tree she was sitting on. He stopped at her voice and turned to look at her. She sat with her face turned the other way.

"What." He was mentally kicking himself for not being able to think of anything better to say, but that was all that would come out. He crept closer to the Toph, tilting his head so he could get a better look at her face.

"That is your house back there isn't it." Again she spoke without turning to look at him or the house she was talking about. He was now standing just in-front of her. He nodded in response to the question, but she didn't react. Her eyes seemed to be set on the sky. "Will you keep me company till my friend comes back." Yunru took a half step forwards before stopping. "Don't worry. I promise there is nothing wrong. My friend's just looking for someone so he's asking around." This seemed to ease any worry Yunru may have had and he moved to sit on the tree next to Toph.

Aang did his best to explain the situation to the boys mother. It looked like she was listening to every words he was saying to her, but then he would glance at her eyes. They looked so vacant. Like she hadn't understood a thing he had just said. Taking in a deep breath he let his eyes drift back to the painting, while he gave Yunru's mother a chance to think more about what he had just said. The longer he looked at the painting the more angry he started to get. He hated Toph for putting him in this position. He was about to turn to look out the window behind him to see if he could see her, but Yunru's mother spoke first. "I understand."

Toph waited for Yunru to speak first, but he was taking to long. "So, what's your name." This was a pointless question, she was already very sure of who he was. She just thought there should be a normal start to the conversation, as it was not going to be a very normal conversation.

"Yunru." A faint smile crossed her face as she subtlety nodded her head. She really was always right. "You."

"You know it's not good manners to ask a lady that."

"I thought that was age."

Again Toph smiled a little, she was starting to like this kid. "That's true, but that's all girls. I am talking about lady's. Lady's of noble birth."

Yunru allowed his eyes to lift from the ground at his feet, to look over the young women sitting next to him. She did have a pretty face that was very pale, like he would have expected from a true lady. Her clothes seemed to be made of expensive fabric, and he hair was long and shining. However there was something in her mannerism, she was to relaxed, yet seemed like she would be able to react to any sudden chance of situation in a instant. He looked at her hand that was placed on the tree next to her, her nails looked like they had be chewed. This was differently not like a lady of noble birth. He looked at her face again, as his eyes travelled up her arm, he noticed that the cloak she was wearing had the symbol of the earth kingdom army embroidered on it. She didn't seem like she was lying. So if she wasn't lying, and she was a lady of noble birth, then she could only be one person, and that would mean that there was a chance that her friends was... "Lady...general...Toph..."

"Toph is fine, my friends just call me Toph." He tried to not read to much into what she just said. Just because she had told him to caller her Toph, then said her friends call her Toph, that didn't mean she was calling him a friend. "To be honest, I don't think I can remember all of the different names, titles that I have."

Yunru found that now he knew for sure who she was he couldn't look at her. His light brown eyes remained set on the ground. His voice had also left him. There was so much he wanted to ask her. For as long as he could remember all he ever wanted to do, all he ever wanted to be was an earthbender. His older cousin was an earthbender and he had grown up watching him train and getting stronger. He trained too, on his own he went over all of the stances that his cousin taught him over and over again. He never got anywhere, the earth didn't move an inch when he tried to bend it. Disappointment an resentment had started to eat away at him, till he realised that crying wasn't going to change anything, nothing was going to change it, this was just the way it was. Sitting next to the worlds greatest earthbender, brought back all the resentment he felt. Why was this short, thin, blind girl able to do something so easily that he wanted so much and worked so hard to do and got no where at.

"I should let Aang tell all this to you, but maybe it's best I speak to you first." Yunru wasn't sure but he thought the last part she had been speaking to herself rather than to him. "How much do you know about your family history." She gave him sometime to answer, but he didn't so she went on. "Your great grandfather, was an airbender..."

"I know."

Toph gave a nod, much like she had done before. At least this conversation was going to be shorted than she had thought. "Good, I don't have to go over all of that then." she paused before she went on , but Yunru spoke first.

"What dose that have to do with me." He wasn't an idiot, he could guess where all of this maybe going. The fact that her friend she was talking about was the avatar, was other big clue. He just couldn't quite believe that all of this was really happing. He knew she was blind, but he still turned to look right into her eyes. He hoped they would show some idea of what she was thinking. He had heard storied about her, about all of the friends of the group, but as an earthbender she was the one he had been the most interested in. He heard that she had almost married the fire lord. That she she was cunning, disrespectful and that she was pretty. He found in her no signs of the first two and he thought she was beautiful in her own way.

Toph had started to bite her lower lip, thinking of the best way to answer his question. She would normally bite her nails, but she didn't want to more from her ringed position on the tree log. Nail biting had become a habit over the years. Once she started to slip a little back into high society, she found picking at her toes was not something she could do without getting a lot of burning looks. Katara had tried to stop this new habit, but to no avail. She had said that she believed all of these little habits of Toph's were to do with her restlessness, a very un-erthbenderly attribute. Maybe this was true, because at this minute there was nothing Toph wanted more than to run away.

"I...We think that you maybe able to airbend. So Aang's going to teach you." She had picked her words very carefully, so she was not out and out lying.

With a speed that was close to what she expected from Aang, Yunru got to his feet and turned to face her. "How would you know. Your an earthbender and your blind." He didn't mean to shout at her or for it to come out as harsh as it did, but his last lingering hope that he could maybe become an earthbender one day was slipping away.

"Your right." He didn't know what was going on, he had not expected that reaction from her. She didn't even flinch and her eyes stayed set on the sky a little to his left. "I' am an earthbending, and a great one, and I am blind. Its because I' am blind that I can tell that you have a great chance of being able to airbend."

"Whys that."

"You have the same footsteps as him."

Surprisingly she didn't have to say any more he got it. A million things ran through his head. What did all of these mean, what was going to happen now. Before he could think of his next question, or anything to say he noticed the door of his house opening. The avatar walked out of the door first followed by his mother. Not giving Toph a second look Yunru ran towards them.

"Thank you for your help, and for listening." Yunru's mother nodded her head in response to the avatars thanks. As her head lifted up she saw her son running towards them. Aang noticed her eyes falling on something behind him and turned to see what it was. Yunru was tall for his age, about the same hight as Toph, maybe even a little taller. Aang knew how much she would hate that. His hair was a very light brown, so were his eyes. There was nothing that Aang could see in him that reminded him of any of his old friends from his childhood.

"I want to go with them, wherever it's to. If I can't be an earthbender, then I am going to be a airbender." Again his mother nodded, having fully expected this response from him when he knew about what she and the avatar had been talking about. Aang however was a little surprised by what Yunru said, he didn't have to think very hard about who had told him about all that was going on. He turned away from the mother and son, and caught sigh of Toph getting up from the tree trunk and turning to face their direction. By shear luck her eyes met his for a second, just as the bright autumn sun hit her eyes. Giving them a glint that made it look like she was smirking at him, because she had just gotten her own way.

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**Thank you very much for read, I hope you are still enjoying. I know that this may seem like a bit if an odd way to end a chapter, but I thought there was no really reason to write about them talking about where they are going next then leaving, so I left that out. The next chapter will be about them talking a little stop on their way to the eastern air temple, where they will be training. I am thinking about having them stop at the village where aunt Wu lives. So if anyone has any ideas about what Aang's new future and Toph's or even Yunru's could be I would love to hear them. Please review, it really dose make my write faster as I feel that I have to get the next chapter up faster. **


	5. Chapter 5

**I am very sorry that it has taken me so long to up-date. I had a problem with my laptop, then I had a bad cold, but I am back to work now. I feel like I should also make a point first, I have received a few PM's since I have been rewriting the whole story, asking if it would be ok to do a fan art of a part of the story, or set up a page on TV tropes for the story and other things like that. Simply people asking to use the story as a starting point for their own work. I have always said yes to all these requested. I just felt I should make a point of letting anyone that is interested in using this story for their own work, that I don't mind at all. In fact I think it would be kind of cool, to see fan art or stuff of the story. So if you are interested place go ahead, but please let me know if you do use it, I would love to see or read what you come up with. **

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Toph and Aang had tried to make their journey as less awkward for Yunru as they could. They asked him questions, and answered the ones he asked them. They where very careful though not to speak directly to each other. At first Yunru hadn't noticed that all of the conversation was going through him. He would have felt uncomfortable about that, if he had more time to think it over. Appa started to pick up speed a little as Aang guided him towards his distinction. They weren't going to make it to the eastern air temple by night fall, they had waited to long at Yunru's village for his father to return so he could say goodbye. Aang had noticed a village on the map along their route that he recognised, it would make as good a place as any to stop and rest the night.

Makapu village hadn't changed much in the almost five years since Aang was last there. Once he had dismounted from Appa he stood still and let his eyes take in the village. It always surprised him how much things never seemed to chance as dramatically as he expected them too. He had stopped at many village he had stopped at before with Katara, Sokka and Toph in the three years he had been travelling along, and they all seemed like nothing had really changed. Toph and Yunru had landed on the other side of Appa and were starting to take down some of their supplies, Aang was about to go and help them, when he heard someone calling his name. "Aang!"

She was running at him from the second she shouted his name, and was right in-front of him throwing her arms around his neck, before he got the chance to look at her. He didn't need to see her face to know who she was though. "I can't believe your back." Meng had now loosened her hold on the avatar, and moved her head back to look at him. He had grown a lot, but she could still see that glint in his eye. It was that glint that made him so different from everyone else.

"It's been a long time huh." At first Aang was having a hard time matching the voice that was exactly the same, with the face in-front of him. The childish freckles had faded a little, but when she gave him a huge toothy smile there wasn't any doubting who she was.

"Long time since what, twinkles." Toph and Yunru had left their unpacking and moved to see what was going on. There heads where now pecking round from behind Appa's head. Despite himself Aang couldn't help but let out a smile, the two of them just looked so funny, Appa also looked like he was staring at him too.

"Since he was last here." As quickly as she had appeared to Aang, Meng moved away from him, and made her way towards Toph. When she reached the older girl, she took her right hand in both of hers, and bowed. As she lifted her head up again, Meng let herself look the new girl over. She hadn't been sure at first, but this was differently not the same girl that Aang was with the first time she meet him. Her hair was darker, and her skin was litter, much litter. Her eyes too where very strange, they didn't seem to be focused on anything at all.

Even though he was mad at her, Aang still found himself moving towards the two girls, once he noticed the look of discomfort on Toph's face. "Toph, this is Meng. She's aunt Wu's assistant here. Toph was my earthbending teacher." His eyes now feel on Yunru, he really didn't know what to say to introduce him. "And this is Yunru, he is...my first airbending student." He had to look away from both Toph and Yunru as he said that, he didn't want to see the grins on their faces.

Meng noticed Aang's eye fall on Aunt Wu's house. "Aunt Wu will be so pleased to see you, come on." Her left hand was still holding onto Toph's hand as she started to run towards the large house. She let Toph's hand go, and took hold of Aang's when he started to walk past them. Yunru had been slowly walking behind them the whole time. He didn't now what to say, or do. Toph stopped in her tracks, once her hand was freed and waited for Yunru to pass her.

"Don't worry, girls always act like that with older men." As she spoke she wrapper her right arm around the younger boys neck. She had noticed Yunru's heart speed up once Meng ran over to them. She quickly pulled her arm away from Yunru once she became aware of what she was doing. She was trying very hard to be more open, softer, as it was clear Aang was not going to be much support for the young boy.

"Do you."

"Do I what."

"Act like that with older men."

"No. I'm blind, I don't act like that about any men."

Aang and Meng had waited for the other two to catch up before they entered the house. Meng was trying to get a better idea about Toph, she seemed very odd. She didn't bow when she greeted her, but she held herself like a lady. He clothes where detailed, but worn. She couldn't get a handle on her. It wasn't still she and Yunru had caught up to them at the door, and she was standing next to Aang that she figured it out, she was like him. Aang and Yunru moved to open the large doors for the girls. Letting them pass first. They all few behind Meng as she lead them to the main hall. When she got closer she started to call out for Aunt Wu. "Aunt Wu, Aunt Wu. You are never going to believe who's here."

"Of course I believe who it is. I saw it all already."

From the far end of the main hall came the voice of the old fortune teller. Like Meng she was dresses in a highly detailed robe, the main difference was that Aunt Wu's robes didn't seem to be to to big for her. There was a part of Aang that was hesitant about coming back to this village. Once they landed and he saw how little it had changed he started to feel better about about here, but seeing Aunt Wu walking towards them now reminded him of why he hadn't wanted to come back here. The preradiation she had given him still played on his mind. Out of habit he bowed to the old women, as did Toph and Yunru. "It's nice to see you again Aunt Wu. These are my friends, Toph and Yunru."

"Pleased to met you both." Slowly she moved towards the three visitors. She looked Yunru over and gave him a slight wink. There was something odd about this boy. Her old yet sharp eyes now feel on Toph. There was something oddly familiar about this girl. They didn't seem as strong as the two he was with the last time, but these two differently had more interesting futures, especially the girl. "You have excellent taste, she's even prettier then the girl you where here with last." Neither Aang nor Toph knew what to say to this. A million thoughts raced through their heads. Toph had been called pretty before, but never more so than Katara. Aang knew both girls where very pretty, but since he noticed Toph's and noticed Katara's a little less, he couldn't say who was the prettier one.

"I've heard ambassador Katara is very pretty, but I think Lady Toph is prettier too." Yunru hadn't moved forward, or looked anyone in the face as he spoke. No one had expected him to be the one to speak up first, but both Toph and Aang were very glad. "But she doesn't get all mushy about men like that." Toph bit her lip to stop from laughing. Aang caught sight of her and let out a soft laugh.

A huge grin crossed Aunt Wu's face, as she moved towards Yunru. "Is that so." As she spoke she reached out her hand, to tilt Yunru's chin up to look at her.

"Toph was my earthbending teacher..."

"Was, that is the second time you said was. You still have a lot to learn about earthbending. I'm still your earthbending sifu."

As the two benders argued, Aunt Wu gave Meng a nod, to direct her to the door. Meng returned the nod and slipped away from the group to go and help pre-pair dinner. Aunt Wu then placed a hand on Toph's shoulder. "I think it's now time to look into your futures." Her hand tightened on Toph's shoulder pulling her towards the large fire place that had stood in-front of them the whole time. Yunru shout Aang a look, searching him for what he should do. Aang didn't notice Yunru, this was what he wad been worried about. The last predication he got had only given him false hope, he didn't want that again. Not knowing what to do Yunru turned and fallowed Toph as she was lead away. Aang's eyes fell on Toph for a second as he took in a deep breath before fallowing her too. "Who's first."

Aunt Wu searched over the three visitors for any of them to met her eyes. Toph was blind so she wouldn't met anyone's eyes, except by chance. She was also not a believer in fortune telling. Yunru still wasn't really sure what was going on or what he should do. Aang was she knew understandably reluctant to hear what she was going to say. After all she had lied to him the last time. Yunru finally lifted his eyes catching Aunt Wu's. She gave him a warm smile. Yunru found himself letting out a deep breath. Why he had felt so nervous and unsure, seemed to slip away. There was nothing to be worried about. She was a odd old lady, but she wasn't a scary one. He felt his face slip into a smile.

Aunt Wu took this as a sign and reached out to take his hand. She guided his hand to the bowl of oracle bones in-front of the fire.

"Just throw them into the fire." Yunru did as he was told. The fire burst to life, and the smoke grew. Neither Aunt Wu or Yunru took their eyes of the fire. Aang had other things on his mind, and it held no interest for Toph. "Ah, I see a first link in a chain. The first step, It is a long road, but it's a important one." She really didn't need to say more, they all knew what she was saying. For a moment Aang thought that maybe Toph had told her what to say. He had to remind himself that that wasn't possible, she had only met Aunt Wu just now.

He felt pressure being pushed onto his left shoulder. He tilted his head to see Toph leaning into him. "I'm not going to say I told you so. I'll just let the facts speak for themselves."

Before he could say anything back, Aunt Wu took hold of Toph's shoulder, turning her around to face her. "I think it's your turn now dear." Toph gave a faint smile to try and please the old women, but was subtly trying to move her hand off her shoulder. "Oh, But you won't be able to see the smoke."

"I'll live." Toph would have moved her hand to cover her mouth, if she had been able to move. That had been a little harsh, even for her. The old lady seemed nice enough. The words of apology were about to leave her mouth, but again the old lady spoke first.

"I'll have to read your palm instead." Toph was still feeling guilty about her last comment, so she sat still and let Aunt Wu take hold of her hand. She could feel the old lady running her long nail over her palm. "You have very long travel lines, but that makes sense. You do travel with an air nomad after all." She lifter her eyes from Toph's hand, to look at Aang as she spoke, but Aang didn't notice. His eyes were set on the fire in-front of him. "Your marriage line is also long, very long for your age. You are from a noble family so that also makes séance. You have probably had your marriage planed from a young age. Your heart line however, it's very short. Though it is deep. That means that there are only a few people that you truly love, but you do love them very deeply." Aunt Wu's sharp eyes looked over all the lines imprinted into Toph's hand. Her eyes looking for any of the many lines to give her any sign of what she had seen in Toph before. "This is very frustrating. I felt a strong aura around you, but I cant see it's meaning clearly with a palm reading."

Letting out a sigh and talking before she had a chance to change her mind, Toph said something to try and make up for her comment earlier. " You can guide my hand if you want."

Aunt Wu lifted her eyes again from Toph's hand, this time to look in her eyes. There wasn't a trace of reluctance. "Are you sure."

"I won't feel patronised or uncomfortable if you don't." Giving the young earthbender a warm smile, Aunt Wu took hold of her wrist and lead it to the bowl of oracle bones. Then once she had a few in her hand, she pulled Toph's arm back then forward letting go of her wrist when she wanted her to let go of the bones throwing them into the fire. Again the fire place was filled with a thick smoke, only much darker this time.

"I see, incredible force. It's held in a small box, and the box is breaking. At some point the box will break. I see darkness.

"So do I." Again felt a little guilty about what she said, but not as much. It was just such an open invitation for one of her snarky comments.

Aunt Wu went on like Toph had said nothing. "I see an eye, it's jade in colour. It has spots of deep he green in it. The spots get larger, till the eyes is a deep green, like emeralds. The colour keeps getting darker and the pupil gets larger, till the whole eye is black."

No one said anything else, they didn't know what to say after that. Aunt Wu patted Toph on the shoulder and gave her a gentle squeeze, before she locked eyes with Aang. His eyes had slowly been creeping towards Aunt Wu and Toph the whole time they had been talking. He knew what was coming next. Aunt Wu slowly pulled herself to her full hight and moved over to the other side of the fire place, to sit next to Aang. Wrapping her left arm around his neck, she pulled him in towards her so she could whisper into his ear. "Your future is much clear to see this time young one." As she pulled away she looked right into his grey eyes. There was a certainty in her eyes that almost made him really believe her. He looked to Toph for help, no matter what Aunt Wu would have said to her, there was no way Toph was going to believe that she could see her future by looking into smoke.

Toph had been trying to get the words the box will break out of her head. The old lady wasn't lying, or at least she believed that what she was saying was the truth, like Jet had when he was brainwashed. Once she was able to shake of the words, she felt that Aunt Wu had moved from her side and was now sitting by Aang. She also felt Aang's eyes burning into the side of her face, without turning to face him she tried to answer his plea for help as best as she could. "Go on Aang." Once she spoke she turned to him. She didn't know what Aunt Wu had predicted for him the last time, but she felt that what ever she had to say know it was clearly important and she need to say it. If for her own sake as much for Aang.

It was the fact that Toph had called him Aang more than anything else that made him finally move to take some oracle bones from the bowl. Toph was never one to speak first in a group discussions, but she always listened and took everything in. In many ways she would know more about what was going on than most other people. So if she was telling him to just go along with what Aunt Wu was saying then he would. He was still mad at her, but he would always value her judgement.

Once he had thrown the bones into the fire, that smoke for the third time grew. It unlike the other times lightened in colour rather than darkened. "I see love, a loved one. The love of your life. Your other half. This person, this love will be the main force in the rest of your life. From the second you fully see it yourself."

Aang slowly moved himself away from her before he moved to stand up again. Did she really think that he was the same child that would be followed by the same lies. He let out a sigh wanting to say something but not knowing what to say. He didn't want to say anything that he would later regret, and the way he was felling he was most definitely going to say something harsh, he would later want to take back.

Aunt Wu had expected this reaction. She had wanted to try and word her words differently so he wouldn't react as strongly, but in the end she just had to tell him what she saw as clearly as she could. Her hand reached out to take his, to pull him back down to sit, but the fact that he was no longer a young twelve year old boy suddenly hit her, so she let her hand fall to her side. "Avatar Aang. I know you know that I lied to you about your last reading. Your destiny was so strong overpowering, that it was all I could see clearly. I did see a strong love, but further down the line. Now I see it more clearly. I am sorry I lied, I told you what you wanted to know, to give you hope. You seemed to need hope and a little light at the time."

Guilt started to churn in the pit of his stomach. His mouth opened to apologize, but like with Toph Aunt Wu spoke first. "I'll see how dinner is going. You can all sleep in the door through that door. Wash up and come to dinner." Aunt had pulled herself to her feet and moved through the same door Meng had left throw. A heavy silence hung in the room she left. No one knew what to say. They where all trying to take in what they had been told, what it all meant.

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**Thank you for reading I hope you liked it. I was planning on just doing one chapter at Aunt Wu's, but there is more I wanted to do with the whole idea. So the next chapter will also be at Aunt Wu's village, then till will be moving on and there will finally be some training. I would explain about Toph's fortune, but I f I did then it would give away the ending of the story, and as there are people how haven't read the story before I don't want to do that. Like always please review and let me know what you think. **


	6. Chapter 6

Aang never really feel asleep. He lay down in his sleeping bag, Toph in hers a few feet away and Yunru sleeping on the couch in the small room off of the main hall Aunt Wu had let the sleep in. It had started to rain, and Aang had lain awake watching the rain hitting the window pain. After a few minutes he turned from lying on his back, to his side so he could try and sleep again. He then noticed that Toph's sleeping bag was empty. Letting out a frustrated sigh, he quietly, as not to wake up Yunru, pulled himself to his feet, picking up and putting on his brown cloak he had been wearing while travelling. The only door in the room lead out into the main hall was slightly open, which it hadn't been when he last saw it.

The main hall was empty as far as he could see from the few inches the door was opened, the only light was from the fire that Aunt Wu always had burning in the fire place. Again as quietly as he could he slowly opened the door further till he was able to slip through. Once in the main hall, Aang saw that the main door to the building was also slightly open. As he crossed the hall, he could feel the frustration building up, why couldn't she just stay put and not keep things from him. He racked his brain trying to think of any explanation for what Toph could possibly be doing, but came up with nothing. When he pulled the main door open he could just about make out her figure walking away from him in the rain. Bending the air around him, he used it to carrying him through the air till he was over her head, than he bent the air to lower him down onto the ground.

Toph wasn't able to feel him walking through the building she had just left, let along moving through the air above her head, because the rain had softened the ground casing her sight to become hazy. When he hit the ground in-front of her, her heart had almost jumped out of her chest. "Aang, what are you doing."

He could see the shock on her face, that she was socked by the rain and shacking as she grew colder, but he didn't care. He on the other had was standing tall and unmoving. "Why is it so important to you."

"What, what are you taking about." Toph was about to move forward, but his ridged stance stopped her.

"Why is it so important to you that I start training new airbenders. Why did you force me into it."

Toph had started to get her racing heart under control again, as she took a step forward. What he had said had for a reason unknown to her hit a nerve. "Why I do what I do has nothing to do with you." As she spoke she had been moving towards the avatar. As she was about to move past him, to get to wherever she was heading in the first place, he stepped in-front of her, blocking her path. "Get out of my way."

"Where are you going anyway." His eyes were set on hers, as much as he could make out of them in the dark and rain.

Toph clenched her mouth shout as she chewed over the words she was about to say. She didn't fully understand why she was having to answer to him. "I'm going to get a change of clothes from my pack, that I left in the stables with Appa." It was at this point that Aang looked her over fully, seeing that she was only dressed in the clothes she had been wearing all day, she didn't even have the cloak she had been wearing earlier. Rolling his eyes upwards, he unhooked his brown cloak and throw it to her.

"Answer my first question now." Toph didn't move to put the cloak on, she just held it in her hands, as the rain continued to pour. She wasn't used to Aang being this aggressive. Sure he had been angry and yelled at her before, but they where younger then. She was more sure that she could take him back then, now she wasn't so sure. "Toph!" His voice like hers had been drowned put a little by the rain, but she heard him perfectly now.

Her mouth opened to speak but she couldn't get the words out. She felt him moving closer, and could tell he was bout to speak again. She didn't want to hear anything else from him, so she snapped. "I was worried about you." Again she could tell he was about to speak again, and she still didn't want to hear anything from him. So she went on. "Katara and Zuko are together, and I don't know if you already knew, but they are. I didn't know how you were going to take it, so I wanted to give you something else to focus on. Bumi and Iroh have been working on this for years too, and I didn't want it to all be for nothing."

Aang didn't have anything to say to that. He may not agree with the way she went about it, but he understood why she did what she did, her heart had been in the right place. He couldn't be mad at her for that, not when he had done the something himself. As there was no words, he took a step towards her, and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. She was just tall enough to rest her chin on his shoulder, but she couldn't move any other part of her body, he had taken her completely by surprise. As he pulled away, he whispered into her ear. "Thank you."

leaving her still standing in the same spot he walked past her back towards the building they where staying in. after a few seconds he felt something coming towards him from behind. He was about to turn around when he felt something moving towards the back on his head. The next thing he knew, the train of his cloak had been thrown over his head, and Toph was waking right next to him, with the cloak on her head. For a second when he turned to look at her she gave him a faint smile, before he placed his hand around her back as he started to run towards shelter, pulling her with him.

By the time they had reached the main hall and were inside, the cloak had fallen from Aang's head, not that he really need to worry about keeping his hair dry. As Toph pulled the cloak from her head, he saw how wet her hair was, therefore how wet the rest of her must be. He felt a little guilty now that he had kept her out in the rain so long. The reason she had been out in the rain in the first place seemed to be no longer important, getting warm and dry had taken prescience now. "I'll dry off in the store room back there, you can dry off by the fire." As she spoke she twisted her long hair around to get ride of some of the water it had taken in. Aang was about to insist that she dry by the fire but, she was already on her way to the door by the fire place, Where Aunt Wu kept fire word and oracle bones and other things she may need in her readings.

Once in-front of the fire Aang rung out his robe and placed it in-front of the fire. When it was dry enough he would use it to dry himself a little. As he waited he became hypnotized by the fire. He become so engrossed in the movement of the fire that he didn't notice a still damp Toph leaving the store room to cross the main hall to the spare room they were staying in. She had stopped for a moment, as she thought about going over to talk to him. In the end she left him alone with with his thoughts. He didn't even notice as the rain went off, and Aunt Wu entered the main hall from the main door. She had come to check that the fire was still burning. She hadn't expected to find anyone awake, especially not a bare chested Avatar sitting in-front of the fire. As she made her way towards him, he still didn't notice her presence or move in the least. When she reached his side she gently, as not to scare him placed a hand on his shoulder. Her warm hand on his cold skin caused him to jump a little, as he turned to look up at Aunt Wu.

"I wasn't expecting anyone to still be awake." As she spoke she slowly lowered herself to sit next to him.

Aang quickly reached out for his still damp robe, putting it back on. "I couldn't sleep."

A smile was close to crossing the old fortune tellers face, at the young man's embarrassment. It only stopped because she felt guilty about what she was about to say, it was not going to make sleep any essayer for him. "What I said to you earlier, you believe what I told you don't you." Her eyes stayed fixed on Aang as she waited for an answer.

Aang slowly nodded his head, as he tried to say what he wanted to. "I believe, that you believe what you said."

Aunt Wu nodded her head a little, this was really the best she could hope for from Aang after the last time. "There has been a fortune that has been coming to me a lot over the last year. It is to do with you. I see a a dark force, that if allowed to it will destroy the world. All that you and your friends have done up till now will be nothing compared to what you will have to face, if this dark force gets out." The light from the fire stared to go out, casting a dark shadow over Aunt Wu's face. Her eyes searched into Aang's grey eyes for an sign that he was taking in what she was saying, looking for his reaction.

"What ever happens, we will find a way to stop it. If I have my way, I will stop it before it comes to that."

Aunt Wu felt a pained smile cross her face now. She was pleased and a little worried by this new determination she was seeing in Aang. She had seen a hint of it before, but now it was plan to see, she believed that the earthbender had a lot to do with this change. It was this determination that she knew would, if it was possible, stop the dark force she saw. It was also what she feared would lead to his death. "I know if there's a way you will find it. I fear though that at the point when the choice will be made, there will be nothing you can do. You will be forced to let things play out as they will." She watched Aang's face fall a little. She could see his mind working to take in all that he had just been told, and think of what to say next. "I think that I have only been seeing this fortune recently, because you where going to come here, and I was meant to worn you. Don't let it worry you to much. Enjoy all that you have worked for, and have faith that all you have done has made a difference and I will stop what I have seen." Placing her hand on Aang's shoulder again, to help her up Aunt Wu got to her feet and left Aang alone again. She wanted to stay, to say something that would help, but there was nothing more she could say. A part of her wondered if she had done the right thing in telling him, what good was it going to do when she had seen that in the end he would be powerless to stop what was coming, it was out of his control. She had to believe that by telling him she had done the right thing, making him better prepared.

In the small hours of the miring as Aang still sat in-front of the fading fire, he made an important decision. He wasn't going to worry or think to much about all that Aunt Wu had told him about his future. Falling in love with the one, the world facing a destructive force, didn't matter now. Right now he was on his way to a place he hadn't seen in a long time, to train his first student all that he had been taught by one of the most important people in his life, with a good friend with him. These things where what he had to focus on, and make the most off. All that was to come would come in its own time, and he would deal with it then. He didn't want to waste any more time worrying about things in the future he couldn't change right now. With the sun starting to peer through the windows lighting the main hall, and a weight lifted from him, Aang pulled himself to his feet and crossed the main hall to the spare room. Toph and Yunru were still asleep, and if he was lucky they wouldn't wake for a little longer ans he could get a little sleep before they had to leave.

As it always did, packing up to leave always seemed to take much longer than it did to unpack. They were almost ready to leave when Toph felt a pair of heavy footsteps running towards them, as they finished placing the last of their stuff in Appa's saddle. The owner of the footsteps also had a racing heart, and that she could tell had nothing to do with running. What she didn't see coming was where Meng stopped running.

"This is for you, to remember your fortune by." She bowled as she held out her hands towards Yunru. The Young boy turned round from attaching Appa's saddle to look at the girl that had appeared by his side. Aang who was on Appa's other side attaching the saddle there came round to see that it was fixed securely. As he turned to face Yunru as he took the gift from Meg's out stretched arms, Toph jumped down from her place on Appa's saddle to see more clearly what was going on.

Once Yunru had taken the gift from her hands, Meng lifted up her head to see his face. His eye didn't leave the small collection of linked chains in his hands. "That one with the bit of fabric tied onto it was the first link." It was only now that he and the others started to understand the significance of the gift. She had given him a bracelet that was made of large links of a metal, forming a chain, and tied to the first link she had made, was a piece of fabric. That had clearly come from the robe she was wearing. Symbolizing his fortune, about being the first link in along chain.

Yunru didn't know what to say. He moved to attach the bracelet around his wrist, but kept messing it up. Meng let out a small smile as she reached out to fix it for him.

"Thank you."

Meng eyes now lifted to met his. "Your welcome."

"I thought you had grown out of the habit of eavesdropping on my readings by now Meng." Both pairs of eyes now turned to look at Aunt Wu as she walked over to the small group. Meng then let her head drop to the ground.

"It doesn't matter, we don't mind." Toph didn't she the embarrassment on Meng's face, but she did feel her heart sink a little, so she felt she should step in to help the younger girl a little. As she moved forward she took hold of Aang's arm and pulled him with her. Then once she was finished talking she nudged them both, telling them to nod and agree with her, which they did. Meng gave her a smile as thanks, muttered a goodbye under her breath, then ran off back the way she had come from. Toph leaned in a little towards Yunru, to whisper in his ear. "I guess I'm not the only girl that doesn't get all mushy over older men." The student airbenders face now turned a faint red.

"Really I'm glad that Meng gave you a gift, because I cam to give the avatar and lady Toph a gift. So I was a little worried about not having anything for you." Aunt Wu looking at him the whole time she had been talking didn't help Yunru get rid of the red in his cheeks.

Aunt Wu reached into the right pocket of her robe, and pulled out something she kept a tight grip on . It was clearly a small thing as she was able to hold it in the palm of her hand completely. With her left hand she took hold of Toph's right wrist lifting up her hand. She placed her closed hand on her palm and slowly opened it, closing Toph's hand tight over what was now in her palm."This is a seed that will grew anywhere you choose to plant it. So when you choose where you want to put down your roots, you can plant this seed. It will grow into a large strong tree that will be a reminder of where you choose to make your home. All this travelling, is very unearthbender of you, you know." Toph felt a smile cross her face. She was about to thank Aunt Wu, but the old lady moved away from her and was now in-front of Aang.

Again she reached into her right pocket. This time you could see what she brought out. It was three oracle boned tied together by a thin rope. She took Aang's right hand with her free hand, placing the bones in his opened hand. "These are three very strong oracle bones. Use them all at once and they will be strong enough for you to see your fortune." Her eyes where now looking right into Aang's. "Only use them when you feel you have lost your way."

Aang and Toph took a second more to look over the gifts they had been given, as Yunru did the same with his. Toph was the first to speak, she moved to bow as she thanked Aunt Wu, but was stopped by a gently hand on hers. "Don't bow, it doesn't suite you." She then turned to face Aang. "You can bow though." Yunru fought as hard as he could to stop himself from laughing at his new sifu. Toph on the other hand didn't try at all, she let out a loud laugh as Aang bowed to Aunt Wu.

A few minutes later, Aunt Wu watched as Appa flew always, taking the three traveller with him. There next stop would be the eastern air temple, if they made good time. For the first time since they set out on this trip, all three of them were looking forward to what was to come, even if it was only a little.

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**Thank you for reading, I hope you likes it. The next chapter will finally get around to training, even if it's a little bit. I just thought that this would be a good chance to put in some characters that I didn't but in the first time I wrote the story. So as always I would love know what you think, so please review. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you all for reading, I hope you like this new chapter. I realised that their have been a few questions asked in the reviews that I haven't answered, sorry about that. So I will answer then now. The gifts will be used, but not for a while. They will come into play a important roll near the end of the whole story, around part 17 to 19. she will be completely forgive this or next chapter. I never thought about Yunru having the tattoos or a shaved head, so I would say no he won't get the tattoos, but maybe a shaved head. He was meant to be more like Toph, as he grew up wanting to be a earthbender, this will come into play in his training. **

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They had arrived at the eastern air temple late in the day. So their arrival was not noticed till they entered the main hall. Guru Pathik didn't open his eyes as the three visitors walked slowly towards him. He looked almost like he had done the last time Aang had seen he, it was like time had stood still around him for the past five years. Toph and Yunru stood quietly by Aang as he talked with his old friend. He explained why they had come and who they where. As his grey eyes met Toph's by chance he like Aunt Wu and Iroh before them both saw a faint hint of something more behind those jaded eyes, and pale face. He remembered the way Aang had left him the last time he saw him, and wondered for a second if she was the reason, but once her name was spoken he became more confused.

After they had eaten, vegetarian food only, much to Yunru's disappointment and horror. Guru Pathik told them of a section of the temple that had a large flat area next to it, the perfect place for airbending training. The words where on the the tip of Aang's tongue to ask Pathik to help him and Toph train Yunru, but he never got to speak them. As if she knew what he was about to say, Toph spoke first. Thanking Pathik for the food, and promising he wouldn't even know they where there as they would be staying in the section of the temple he had been talking about, then got up to level. Yunru bowled and followed her. Aang quietly thanked Pathik and left too. True to her word, Pathik almost forgot about the presence of the three benders till a few days after their arrival he say Aang flying over the temple on his glider. The sight brought back a lot of memory's.

The sun shone harshly down on the training ground, but gave no warmth, as it was now the middle of autumn. Aang was finding himself repeating the same thing for what felt like the hundredth time to Yunru. He got into the stance he was trying to get Yunru to lean, for the third time that day. The first few days of the training had been filled with Aang talking in great detail about the history of Airbending, and the principles behind it. They had then moved onto bending air it's self. They had been trying to achieve this for almost five days now, and where getting no where.

To both the student and master it was a disappointment that Toph, had so far played no real part in the training. As the one that had forced them both into this situation, it annoyed Aang. She did however watch over all of the training sessions. She had bent a platform about five feet high with a back that reached six feet. She sat on her platform form the second they started training to the second they finished for the day, without saying a world. From her seat Toph felt she could see a little more clearly what was going on on the ground.

Once Yunru had again failed to bend the air while he moved through the stance, Aang let out a deep sigh. "Why don't we call it a day. You need a break, you've been working really hard." The master then patted his student on the shoulder, before he left to write his next letter to his parents. As he turned round to look at the vast temple that had stood behind him, he locked eyes with Toph. He felt words fighting to leave his mouth, but fought them back. Casting his eyes on the ground at his feet, he made his way back to the temple. He was more tired, emotionally then he could let on to Yunru. It was the effort to be positive with his student that was really tiring him. As he pasted Toph's platform with her still sitting on it, he made a real effort not to look at her.

"Not going very well is is, twinkles." He was a few steps behind the platform when she spoke. She hadn't said anything to him really since the night they arrived, so it took a second or two for him to get over the shock of hearing her voice, and listen to what she said.

Slowly Aang turned round to face Toph's direction. When he looked up at her, she was still face the training area, not looking at him. This fact plus his tiredness cased him to reply a little more sharply then he had meant too. "You don't say. Why don't you do something to help. This is all because of you anyway." He wasn't sure, but he thought he saw her shoulderes drop. Like they would do if she was letting out an annoyed sigh. What did she have to be annoyed about. Aang mover round to the front of the platform, so he could see her face. "You blackmailed me, threatened me. Intimidated me, into doing this. Now your completely silent except to tell me the obvious."

"I intimidated you. You the mighty avatar...sweet."

"Toph!"

Quickly Toph used her hands to push her off the platform. She landed a few feet in-front of Aang. "So it's still to soon to make jokes huh, fine. What is your problem."

For a split second Aang saw Toph as she was when he first meet her in her fathers house, yelling at him from across a dinning table. "I thought you were going to help. I don't know how to teach anyone, you do."

"Of course I do, because I had so many loving teachers that cared about making me the strongest earthbender alive." Aang was never one for sarcasm, but he could almost taste the false sweetness dripping from her words.

He knew that he shouldn't say what he was about to say, it was only going to lead to more arguing, but he couldn't help himself. "That's right. No one cared about your training, no one took the time to teach you. So you could never know what it's like to have someone share all that they know with you passing it on, hoping you'll do the same one day. You'll never know what that means."

Toph took in a few deep breaths as she let the words Aang had just launched at her settle a little. Her mind was racing trying to think of what to say next. She had to say something fast or he would say sorry, she knew he must be felling guilty about yelling at her. "Your right I don't know what that's like. I do know what's it like to pass on all that you have learned, and hope that the person you passed it onto will do the same. You don't know anything about that though do you."

This time Aang was left taking in all that had been said to him. He was thinking more about what she hadn't said. She meant him, it was him that she had passed on all that she knew too, everything she had learned on her own. He couldn't understand what all that she had taught him about earthbending could have to do with him teaching Yunru to airbend, but he was sure that was part of what she was talking about. When he thought he had found the right words, he lifted his head from the ground, only to find Toph gone. He could see her only a few feet away. She was walking towards the edge of the temple. He moved to follower her, but only made it one half step. In all honesty he didn't want to talk yo her right now, and he knew she didn't want to talk to him either. So he turned to the temple again.

Unlike staying at Aunt Wu's everyone had their own room at the temple. They where small rooms, but they were only ever in them to sleep at night so it didn't matter. Toph's room was at the end of the corridor, three doors down from Aang's, with Yunru after that. Dinner had been a quite affair that night, Toph hadn't returned, not that she would have said much if she had been, so it was just Aang and his student. After dinner Aang had gone to his room. Yunru with nothing else to do went to his own room as well. Aang couldn't sleep and listened out for Toph returning. After the night had well and truly set in, and there was still no sign of Toph, he decided that the only way he would be able to get any sleep at all would be for him to find her and sort this all out.

He left through his window, as not to wake Yunru. He walked in the same direction as Toph had walked off in earlier. He found her not far from the temple, sitting on the edge of a cliff, her legs dangling over the side. It always amazed him that someone that felt so uncomfortable, and clearly didn't enjoy flying, could be so undaunted, almost reckless when it came to heights. Slowly he walked up behind her. He took the fact that she wasn't turning round to face him a sign that she didn't now he was here. Just as the realisation that she had probably known he was walking towards her since he left the temple, her voice rang out in to the wide space of the cliffs and gorges in-front of them. "Don't you dare say your sorry." As she expected he opened his mouth to try and speak, but she stopped him. "It's over, lets just drop it."

After a few seconds Aang took the final few steps to stand next to Toph, then dropped down to sit next to her. He found himself hanging his legs over the edge too. He couldn't help wondering what it was like for Toph to be sitting in a place like this, how did she see it. When he tore his eyes from the wide space in-front of them to look at her, he saw that her lips had been moving. She had been talking to him, and he hadn't heard a word of it. He was about to finally speak, when again she beat him to it. "Close your eyes, and lean back. Don't think about anything, just let you mind...drift." As she spoke she was moving to lie back on the earth, her feet still over the edge. Once she was down she reached out her left hand taking hold of Aang's right arm, and gently pulled him to lie down on the earth. He let himself be moved to lie in the same position as her. He glanced over at her face just two inches from his, and saw that her eyes were closed. A faint smile crossed his face as he couldn't see any point to her closing her eyes, unless it was for sleep. Turning his head back to face the sky, he closed his eyes too.

It wasn't long till he got lost in his own thoughts, and his mind then went blank. He was slowly becoming less aware of the earth under him, he felt the air moving in-front of him more strongly. He could feel, almost see in his mind the currents the air was taking, where it was going. It was the light touch of Toph's hand on his shoulder and her soft voice calling his name that brought him in his mind crashing back onto the earth. When he opened his eyes, he saw the large sky over him, making him feel tiny and insignificant. "What did you see." Toph like Aang was still lying down on the earth. Her question may have seemed strange, how could you see with your eyes closed, but he knew what she meant.

"I saw the air."

A faint smile spread across Toph's face, as she slightly nodded her head. "That's because your an airbender. I see the earth, I can feel it moving. Even though it's so minuscule it is moving all the time, and I see it feel it, when I focus on it like that. That's case I'm an earthbender." Aang would have been able to figure that much out on his own, but he still didn't know what all of this had been about. "Yunru grew up wanting to be an earthbender, his cousin is one. He thinks of bending like an earthbender. Holding your ground, being rooted. He sees the world like I do." Aang was now understanding more. "You need to get him to see the world like you. Like an airbender."

She felt him now nodding his head, in understanding. "I have to do the opposite of what you did, in teaching me to earthbend."

"Yeah, that's pretty much it."

Aang was thinking that this all seemed essayer said than done. He very clearly remembered how hard it had been for him to learn to earthbend, and how irritated he could see Toph getting at times. He didn't know if he could do it. "Will you help me. Please." Toph bite her lip, as she tried to stop herself from speaking before she knew what the best thing to say was. "I want to pass on all that Gyatso taught me. To keep all those teachings alive. I just don't know if I can do it."

"Aang, you have done things much more difficult than this before. I have faith in you. There is no one else that can do this." Even as she spoke she knew that he words of encouragement where having no affect on the avatars confidence. It then hit her, what she had to say. "You've got the stuff." As she was still lying on her back, she only gave him the thumps up with her left hand, as it was the closest to him.

Aang only caught the thumps up out of the corner of his eyes, but he heard what she said, and remembered the first time she had said it to him. Toph was never one to give out complements or flattery, so if she gave any positive comment or told you you were doing good, she meant it. Strangely he felt her words having more of an effect than he thought they would have. He started to believe that he could do it.

"You know when you asked me early what my problem was, then just now, it's like we've twelve again."

"I thought that too." As she spoke her voice took on a sign song tone, as she was slightly laughing while speaking. She then moved to sit back up.

Aang slowly followed suite, his head slightly spinning from getting up to fast. When he could focus again, he looked over at Toph who was looking out in to that vast space before her. Glancing up to the wide expanse of the sky, he realised how tiny they both were. "Toph." He waited for her to turn to face him. He didn't know why, it wasn't like she could see his face. He just felt it was more personal to say what he wanted to say to her face. It took Toph a few seconds to turn to him, giving him the chance to know exactly what he wanted to say. "Thank you for believing in me, it means a lot. I know I have been acting..."

"Childish, spoilt..."

"Ok, fine maybe a little. I was going to say stubborn. You know why that is, I let that get in the way. Gyatso would want the lessons of the air nomads to be kept alive, so do I. So that's what I'm going to do, starting with Yunru. I still need your help though. Like you always say, I'm no earthbender, not really. I still have a lot to lean from you on that. Will you please help me at least help Yunru get started in his training."

His eyes didn't leave Toph as he spoke. He watch her face for the few seconds after he finished speaking, before she turned away to face forward again. He didn't see any sign of what she was thinking, or was going to say. After a few seconds of careful thought, Toph finally spoke. "You a better earthbender than you think you are." She then turned to face him. "Ok I'll help you teach him."

A huge grin crossed Aang's face as he quickly pulled Toph into a awkward hug. It was awkward mainly because they were sitting next to each other, but Toph also felt an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. She was staring to wonder about what she had just got herself into.

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**Like always, thank you all very much for reading. I hope you liked it, and please let me know what you think. Good or bad. I found it quit fun putting in like things that are call back to the show in this chapter. **


	8. Chapter 8

The next day the sun was a little warmer, and brighter. Giving the mountains surrounding the air temple a slight glow. Before he started to go through the warm up exercises that Aang had taught him, Yunru took a few minutes to truly take it all in. He was on his twentieth push up when Aang and Toph finally appeared at the training area. As quickly and skilfully as he could, he leaned back onto his back legs, than pushed himself up, and gave the two masters a bow.

"I was thinking we could try something different with your training." Yunru nodded his head enthusiastically at what Aang said, not really listening to what he was saying. Aang noticed this. He found a faint smile cross his face as he continued. "So I was thinking, Toph could take over your training for a bit." At this Yunru, who's head had fallen to the ground shot up.

Toph felt his heart race a little, she had never known him to get this excited about training before. That had to be a good thing. "I wouldn't get so excited. I am a lot tougher than he his."

"Sifu Toph." He didn't know what to say in response, this seemed like the best thing. He bowed to her as well as he spoke.

Toph rolled her eyes. No matter how many times she was called that it never sounded right. "Just call me Toph. Don't bother calling him Sifu Aang either, it'll just give him a bigger head...although then this head would finally be the right size for his ears." Yunru let out a loud laugh, that he then tried hard to hold back. "It's ok to laugh, Aang's huge ears are funny."

Aang remained silent for as long as he cold. Till the laughing and giggling of Toph and Yunru quietened a little. "Can we get back to the point now."

Toph took in a deep breath to stop any more laughter and to calm herself. Aang's stern tone was not helping. She just couldn't take that seriously when he tried to act tough like that, it just wasn't him. "Fine." She was able to get out through repressed laughter. "Ok. Yunru what do you know about chakras."

His mouth opened to answer, before he knew what he was going to say. When he tried to think of the words he wanted, he realised that he knew nothing at all about chakras. He wasn't even sure he knew what a chakra was in the first place. Toph expected this response. She only knew about them because after Aang told her that the ankle bracelet she now wore, that had been made by her birth mother, was a chakra bracelet. She had spent two days in the library in Omashu finding about what that meant. She wasn't very sure about the whole thing though, she would have to ask Aang at some point. This was just her way of getting Yunru interested in the lesson.

"It doesn't matter. You don't need to know about chakras." She felt him letting out a deep breath, and Aang form a slit smirk. "What you need to learn first is to find your balance." At the word balance she now felt the student moving his legs a little further apart. Nice try she thought, but he was thinking to simply about what she meant by balance. "Each form of bending has it's own centre of balance." Toph moved her hands to be held palm to palm, once joined she lowered them till they rested just in-front of her lower stomach. "This, just where your belly button is, is the centre of balance for waterbenders. Watrebending is about using the force of your opponent against them. From this centre you can move your arms very free', while staying connected to the ground, as you don't have to move around very much, normally."

Yunru copied her position, finding it more uncomfortable than it looked. Toph then moved her hands up to rest just in-front of where the centre of her rip cage would split. "This is the centre of balance for earthbending. Earthbending is the best balanced form between attack and defence. From this centre you can move both arms and legs freely." Like before Yunru moved his hands to mirror her position.

Aang had found his stance relaxing a little as he watched Toph and then Yunru moving through the centres of balance. It seemed odd to him that Toph knew all of this. He had only learned all of this in the three years he had been away training. It was best just to go with it though, she always seemed to know more than people would expect she would. It didn't stop him from wondering how she did it though.

"The centre of balance for firebending is here, just at the centre of the rib cage. Your finger tips should touch the top of your rip cage." Yunru used her directions to find the place for his hands to copy hers. "A firebenders power comes from their lungs. From this centre they can draw on that power, and pull it up with their hands, and have their feet free to move. As firebending is about attacking there is less freedom of movement with this centre." Yunru moved now into what he felt was the least comfortable centre so far, after giving Toph a nod of understanding.

Toph felt her lips now curl into a slight smile. "And finally, the centre of balance for airbending." This time she didn't tell him where his hands should be. She simply moved her hands up a little till the tips of her fingers where resting in-front of her sternum, the lowest part of her neck. "Airbending I'm sure you know is all about avoiding attacks. This centre lets you move the most freely." Toph quickly dropped her hands to her sides. Like Yunru she found the other bending centres of balance uncomfortable to stay in for very long. "Which one was the most comfortable, which felt..."

"Right." Aang finished for her, as it seemed she was having a hard time thinking of the right word. She simply nodded in approval. They both returned their attention to Yunru, waiting for his answer. Toph knew what it was going to be, Aang did too, but found himself getting a little worried.

"The last one, the airbending centre of balance." He spoke with a tone as strong and sure of himself as he could mange with the company he had. It was hard to feel overly confident with the avatar and the grand master earthbender as your teachers. Aang let out a faint sigh, as Toph nodded her head with a faint smile.

"Of course it is, your an airbender." In all the time that he had been training, this was the first time that anyone had every called him a airbender. Sure Aang and Toph had both said that he could be one, but never that he was one already. Despite his continued enthusiasm for his training, his belief that it was all going to lead to him being able to airbend, even half as well as Aang could had been diminishing little by little. "I bet you want to know why I told yo all of that." Toph's face had now spread into her trade mark mischievous grin. Aang knew that look all to well, it always gave him butterflies in the pit of his stomach. He could never tell if this was because he was worried about what she was planing, or because he was excited about what she was plaining. "It's from this centre that the very basic bending move starts."

Moving her hands back to rest in-front of the lower part of her rib cage, the earthbending centre of balance, Toph lunged forwards, with her right leg, her left straightening out behind her. While she lunged forwards, her arms moved out in-front of her. The palms of her hands pulled apart and turned to face out in-front of her. The earth in response to her move shot forward in front of her, creating a small trench that went all the way to the edge of the cliff, a good two hundred feet in-front of them. Ynru's eyes had followed the moving earth and now went back to fall on Toph. He knew that this was really nothing, he had seen his cousin performing much greater earthbending moves, but it was the first time he had seen Toph earthbend. "That is what basic earthbending looks like." She now turned to face Aang, giving him a look as best as she could to tell him to just go with what she was going to say. Again Aang knew that look well, and it too worried and excited him in equal measure. "Basic firebending looks like this." At this she turned back to Yunru, holding out her arms to point to Aang.

Feeling like he had little choice, Aang joined his hands at the top of his ribs, then went through the same move that Toph had just done. Instead of the earth moving, a small stream of fire shot from his palms. Toph quickly pulled out the water flash she had attached to her belt, and poured the water out into a small puddle in-front of Aang. "Water." Again Aang moved back into the correct stance, his finger tips just touching the bottom of his rib cage. This time though when he lunged forward he went forward onto his left leg, rather than his right leg. The water moved into a small stream of water that was sent over the edge of the cliff. "Did you notice anything different about his stance this time."

"He went forward with his left leg, before he used his right leg."

Toph knew that Yunru had been watching, taking in everything that was shown to him and said. So she expected him to have picked up on this small change. "Right. That is because earth and fire bending come from the same kind of centre, and water and air come from the same centre. Like how earth and air are opposites and fire and water are opposite. Fire and earth are alike and so are air and water." Like with everything else that had been said to him, Yunru nodded his head to show that he understood what had been said. "Ok and air." Again Toph turned from the student to the master waiting for him to show what he could do. Aang like the two times before went through the stance. The air that moved forward from his palms had so much force that Yunru was pushed over onto the ground. Toph was able to keep her balance by digging her feet into the earth, her hands shot up to cover her face. Aang watched the affect the force of air had on the area in-front of him. The grass had been either pulled out, or bent interiorly to lie horizontal. The water that lay over the cliff could be seen to gain ripples going in the opposite direction that was natural, Aang pulled himself from his stance, with a self satisfied smile on his face. Which was quickly whipped away by a strong slap to the back of his head.

"Ouch what was that for." Aang turned to look Toph in the eyes, as he rubbed his now sore head.

Before she answered his question, she seemed to stare at him right in the eye as well, with her eyes seeming to get larger as she did.

"You where showing off. He won't be able to do anything like that for a long time. You are just..."

"I'm showing him what airbending can do..."

"No you where showing off, to enlarge you ego."

"You are talking to me about ego. Miss master earth..."

"HEY. You gave me that title."

"I would like to give it a try now!" Yunru's neck had started to hurt from moving back and forth between Aang and Toph. They sounded a lot like his parents when they argued about something he had done. Both looking a little shame faced, Toph and Aang turned back to Yunru. Giving him their full attention, as he moved into his stance. Taking in a deep breath and letting it out as he moved forward Yunru blocked out everything else except the air in-front of him.

Nothing happened, the air didn't move. Not even a gentle breeze. Toph didn't know what to say, she didn't see the look of disappointment on his face but she did feel the disappointment pouring out of him. She moved forward towards him. Before she could say anything, he pulled himself back into the stance. A small smile crossed Toph's face. She had been worried that he was going to just give in and quit. She bit her lip a little though, as she was still a little worried about what was going to happen now if he still couldn't get this most basic move.

Again Yunru went through the stance again. This time it worked. He felt the air move forwards from the palms of his hands. The air didn't move anywhere near as much as it had done for Aang, But it did move. Toph let out a yell of joy while she through her hands into the air, before turning to Aang who had also given out a yell. They gave each other a high five. Yunru yelled louder than both of them combined, and jumped up and down. He then turned to face his sifu's, and moved to Toph, wrapping his arms around her waist. He was only a few inches shorter than Toph. So for once she rested her head on someone else head, rather than having someone doing it to her while they hugged. As quickly as he had moved to her he moved to Aang, this time he wrapped his arms around the person he was going to hug shoulders, and he only hugged him for a second at most. He then began jumping up and down yelling again. Toph let her smile fall into a smirk, as she leading in to whisper into Aang's ear. "He's all your now twinkles." He wasn't sure if it was her calling him twinkles or the fact that she had again left all of Yunru's training to him, or maybe it could have simply be her talking quietly into his ear, but he got the butterflies in his stomach again.

Once Yunru had calmed down they called it a day on training and went to celebrate with a large dinner. They went to the main building of the temple to eat with Pathik, letting him about how they where getting on with Yunru's training. They stayed up long after the sun had set, Aang and Toph were goaded into telling stories of their travels, before and after the war. They even learned a few things they hadn't known before. Aang learned about Toph's dislocate shoulder she gained after falling from a Basilisk lizard. Toph learned about the fight Aang had had with Zuko the first time they meet. She found the image she got from that story very funny.

Toph like most nights couldn't sleep. Long after they had all retired for the nigh and gone to their own rooms. She didn't know what time it was, but she knew that is must be a long time till the sun would rise. Felling a sudden need for air she left her room and walked towards the training area. She wasn't far when she felt something, there was already someone there. They where sitting cross legged a few feet away from the edge of the cliff. The had their hands held up to the top of their rib rage, palm to palm. When she reached them she found herself sinking into the ground, she sat a few inched behind them to their left. After a few minutes of silence she moved to sit with her back to him, then moved to lean into his back. She surprisingly found his shoulders to be wider and stronger than she expected them to be. She didn't fully know why she did this, she just didn't want to go back to her room, she wanted to wait for him to come out of his meditation, if that was what he was doing and give him a fright. It wasn't long though till she fell asleep. The beating of his heart through his back was a better lullaby than the one she had been sung by her nanny when she was a child.

Just as the sun was peaking ever so slightly out from the horizon line in-front of him, Aang opened his eyes. He had been unable to sleep and wanted to clear his head before really started Yunru's training. The idea of trying to meditate using the centre of balance for airbending had seemed like it was worth a try, and it had worked very well. He was only a little surprised by the slight pressure he felt on his back, mainly because in some way he had always been aware of her presence. Not wanting to wake her up, he slowly pulled back from her. She started to fall over onto he right side, Aang caught by her shoulders. Then moved onto his knees facing her, as he slid one arm under her knee and the other under her back.

As he carried her back to the temple he was shocked to see that she looked so peaceful. He had never thought of her as being peacefully in any way. She stured a little, as she moved her hand that lay in her lap to hold onto his robe, and bury her head a little more in the crock of his shoulder. A smile crossed the avatars face, as he looked down at his earthbender friend, and thought of what Yunru's next training practice was going to be. How loud he would make it, and how she was going to woken up by it. Maybe it was true that revenge was a dish best severed cold, and he had waited long enough.

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**Thank you for reading, hope you liked it. I have to say that the idea for the part at the end with Toph falling asleep against Aang's back was from naruto. It is a scene of naruto and jiraiya before he goes to fight pain. I just thought it was a lovely idea and wanted to use it. I also added the bit at the very end about revenge to stop it being seen as to much on the romantic side. Please let my now what you think. **


	9. Chapter 9

The training started to pay off. Yunru was now able to bend the air more directly by making rapid movements with his arms, he was also able to pull up a air shield. It wasn't very strong, but it was a start. He was now working on air swipes. So far he couldn't even make a dent in one of the thin trees that surrounded the training ground. He and Aang would have worked more on this move, if Toph hadn't objected to the harming of trees. Aang was never really sure if she was trying to get back at him again for the loud waking up he had given her three days ago for getting him into all of his.

She had gotten back at him first by bending a large rock at the back of his head, when he stupidly turned his back on her during training that day. Last night he had had a hard time eating and keeping that piece of ice he had frozen himself on the back of his head. Toph had at first made fun of him for being such a baby, putting ice on a bump from the day before. However she had after a while let out a sigh and took the ice from him, holding it in place, so he could use both hands to eat. He had thought this had been a sign of a truce, now he thought she had been tricking him into a false sense of security.

With the air swipe put on hold, Aang decided to teach his student his very own move. He had noticed how excited Yunru had been when he had told him he was going to start to learn a move that he, the avatar had invented. If Toph could invent metalbending then what could the avatar have come up with. Aang waited a few seconds before bending the air into a scooter at his feet, then took his familiar position onto it. He bent the air scooter around Yunru, then speed up and headed towards the wall of the temple. Yunru almost turned to look away, the image however ridiculous as it may have sounded, of Aang being splattered against the wall came to his head, forcing him to turn away. When he was sure that if any accident had happened it would have happened by now, Yunru turned back. He saw Aang on his air scooter climbing the wall a few feet before he bent it away and fell onto the ground. Where he landed perfectly and turned to face his student. Yunru had been a little disappointed when he had first seen what he was going to be learning next, he was expecting something bigger, but now he was speechless.

The silence was broken by the sharp cutting clapping of Toph as she walked onto the training area. She stopped a few feet away from both of them. Her lips tense from trying not to let the smile she was trying to hold back from crossing her lips. Aang looked over to her. His eyes set on hers, trying to get a read on what she was thinking. Her eyes appeared to be looking right into his as he did the same to her. The smile then creped across her face finally. Aang had long ago realised that Toph was pretty, but when she smiled like that she looked beautiful. He knew this was because for the first time in a long time, she was smiling for real.

Toph was smiling so deeply because for the first time since he had left she was seeing a sign of the Aang she had first known. She couldn't even remember the last time she had lost sight of him, because he had been on a air scooter. It was nice to see him and not feel him being weighted down by all of his duties.

The rest of the day was spent trying to get Yunru to bend an air scooter. He could form the ball of air, but it never lasted very long. He didn't have the control. He would them get annoyed and try again, this time forcing more control onto the air. This caused the air to slip form the ball much quicker, air didn't like to be forced so strongly. Eventually Aang called a stop to training for that day, and they went to eat. Not wanting to give up just yet, Yunru creped out of the window in his room and went back to the training ground.

Without the watchful eyes of his master and Toph he felt more free to put more force into what he was trying to do. Like before though he wasn't getting very far. Out of shear frustration he let out a muffled yell, not wanting to wake up Aang or Toph. As he yelled his hands shout up to his head, grasping onto his hair. A sudden urge to pull his hair out took over him. To avoid this he quickly swiped his hands down to his sides. The air current moved at a great speed, but it was still not very strong. The air hit off the ground, and punched back up, moving still at a great speed behind Yunru.

"So you are getting better after all." The voice sounded more like a echo than someone talking a few feet behind him. As she turned to face the voice he saw why. An earth shield stood in-between him and the voice. Before he could speak the voice came again, more clearly now as the earth shied was brought down as they spoke. "Using your bending unintentionally when your get angry, very benderly of you."

He couldn't see her very clearly in the faint moon light, but he knew for sure that it was Toph. Who else could it be. It took him a few seconds to take in what had just happened, and try and think of what to say. In the end the best he could come up with was. "Sorry."

"What for." an odd look crossed her face. He was just able to make it out now, as she had been walking towards him while he had been thinking of what to say. It was a look of utter-confusion. He was sure a look like that never crossed her face very often.

The words seemed to come much essayer now. "I almost hit you with the air swipe, didn't I." though the words came essayer, he was still unsure if they where the right thing to say.

The confusion had now left Toph's face, she now had a soft smile. "Don't get ahead of yourself. I had to bend a rock shield so I didn't get hit, but that doesn't mean that the hit would have hurt me." She was now standing all most in front of him. She was only a few inches shorter than her, but he still had to tilt his head up a little to look at her. "So what has you wanting to pull your hair out. Your not trying to look like Aang are you, case I have to tell you I maybe blind but even I can tell that that is not a look for everyone."

Yunru let out a faint laugh under his breath at this. She was the second most powerful person he had ever known he thought she was very striking to look at, he should feel very nervous in her company, but she always seemed to find the right thing to say to but him at ease. Toph felt his body relax a little now. She hoped he would now maybe tell her what was bothering him. Once she was aware of what she was feeling, hope that he would talk to her, so she could help make it better, she felt a wave of annoyance wash over her. Aang should be the one doing this not her, he was his student. This whole thing was a little to girly, motherly for her, she for a spilt second worried that she had turned into Katara.

Yunru opened his mouth to tell her how frustrated he felt, like he wasn't getting anywhere with all of this training, but he couldn't get the words out. He didn't want to sound like a wimp in-front of her. Instead he took a second to think more about what she had asked, why this was really getting to him so much. "Can I ask you a question."

Toph hadn't expected this. She slowly nodded her head before she spoke. "Sure, but I want to ask you one first." like she had done in response, Yunru nodded his head a little. "I can't be lied too. I always know the truth, more or less. So I try and be honest with people as-well. My friends I know what the absolute truth from me. Even if it's a little brutal. I want to know if you want me to be that honest with you." She paused to take a breath. Her eyes now seemed to meet his dead on. "Do you want the brutally honest answer to your question."

"Yes." he didn't even take a second to think of his answer. Toph shock her head slightly as her face creped into a faint smile. He was still acting like a earthbender even after all of Aang's training. From her training of Aang she wasn't surprised really, he never lost his airbenderlyness, no matter how much better he got with earthbending. "Dose avatar Aang really want to be my sifu, and teach me airbending."

Toph had in some way expected this question. She was only a little surprised that it had taken him this long to ask her, and yet his just coming out with it like this surprised her. She pursed her lips as she tried to think of the best way to answer his question. She knew that he in some part must know the answer already, but she still had to pick her words carefully. "Not at first no."

"Ok." Yunru moved to walk past Toph, back towards the temple.

"But now he dose." Yunru stopped before he could take one step forward. "The person that Taught Aang to airbend was like a father to him. Airbending to Aang is how he feels close to him, to his people. Letting anyone else into that is bound to be difficult. One day you might feel the same when you have students of your own." Again Yunru gave a gentle nod and moved to walk away, but like before Toph spoke again stopping him. "He has changed, since he started training you. I think it has done him a lot of good. Helped him get back to his roots, in a way."

This time he bowled slightly to the earthbender and walked away. Toph was left standing on her own in the middle of the training area. Her first instinct was to barge into Aang's room, wake in up and yell at him for making Yunru feel that he was nothing more than an inconvenience. She remained still though, not moving. What good would yelling at him do now, he was to stubborn now he would just yell back, and she didn't want to go back to all the yelling between them again. So she did what she did best in battle, she waited, there was a better time to talk to him about this than right now. Once she was sure she could trust herself to walk past his room and not enter, she left the training area to return to her room.

Aang like most morning rose with the sun, and made his way to the small kitchen on the basement floor of their section of the temple. Unlike most mornings he found once he entered the kitchen he found he wasn't the first one awake like he normally was. "Your up early." Slowly they lifted their head from the large table in-front of them to look at Aang.

"Couldn't sleep" What Toph had said didn't surprise Aang, it was more the fact that she had said it. Since they had started to travel together again over the last year he had noticed that she would take a long time to fall asleep and would sometime wake in the middle of the night, as a result she never woke early. Since arriving in the eastern air temple he had also noticed that every five or six days she would pick plates from around the training area and some from further away from the temple and mix them into a liquid, which she kept in a small blue bottle. He had seen her once or twice drinking from the bottle before she went to her room to sleep, so he assumed it was a sleeping draft. It seemed by the bags under her eyes that what ever it was, was no longer working.

"Why don't you try and get some sleep again. I promise the training will be..."

"I spoke to Yunru last night. He was outside training. He performed the air swipe, I think." Aang was about to something along the lines of that's great Toph spoke first. "He is so frustrated that he isn't getting better fast enough." Again Aang wanted to speak, but was topped. "He also thinks you don't want to train him. He asked me out right is if you did."

For the first time she was quite, giving him the chance to talk. He didn't take this opportunity at first, but after a few seconds of silence he spoke up. "What did you say."

"The truth."

Like with most things she would say like that he seemed to just know exactly what she was saying. "Thanks." He just knew that no matter how much she would have said, he knew that she would have held back a little, softened the truth a little.

"No problem. He's outside now training again. I think you should go and talk to him."

Aang slowly nodded his head, then stopped. "No. no I have a better idea. Will you help me."

"yea..." she never got to finish because he took off back throw the door without saying other words. "Aang wait, what are yo planing. Aang." letting out aloud sigh she dragged herself off the chair that she had slumped into once she entered the kitchen, and slowly walked after him. As she made her way out to the training area, she cursed Aang under her breath, letting louder the closed she got to catching up to him, so he might hear her.

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**Thank you for reading, I hope you like it. I am sorry that it has taken so long to up date again. It just takes longer to write a chapter from scratch, rather than redo one that has already mostly been done., but it is fun in it's own way to. There are only two more chapter maybe three for this part. The whole thing about Toph not sleeping if you have already read the story had a meaning later on, I just felt I should add little hints like that in through out the whole story so it feel like one long story that is linked together, rather than separate parts. Please let me now what you think.**


	10. Chapter 10

Toph gave up yelling at Aang to stop and talk to her by the time she had fallowed him out of the temple. In the back of her mind she was cursing herself. She couldn't help but think that she had played a part in Aang becoming as stubborn as he was now. She stopped on the edge of the training area, and waited as Aang walked over to Yunru, who was once again trying to bend the air scooter. It felt like there was a unseen force that surrounded that training area, she didn't feel she should enter it. As she stood still she finally became aware of the cold wind, and that she had left the temple with out her cloak or even and extra lair of clothes. Her hands lifted to hold onto her upper arms, rubbing them for warmth.

"Yunru, you have been working very hard lately. I think you deserve to have a little break and some fun. So I'm going to teach you a training exercise my master taught me." A faint smile crossed Toph's face at this, she was like shocked and pleased that he was able to know exactly what she must have said to Yunru from the little she had said to him. She couldn't see it, but Yunru also had a smile cross his face at this. Aang cast a glance in Toph's direction before he went on, he pulled off the ribbon that help tie his robe together a like more tightly, then ripped it in half. "Tie this over your eyes." he held his right arm with one half of the ribbon out to Yunru, who slowly walked toward his master and did as he was asked. Once Yunru had taken the ribbon from him Aang tied the other half over his eyes. Toph started to forget about the cold, as she tried to figure out exactly what Aang was doing.

"It isn't enough to be able to overpower your element, by bending it. You have to feel it work with its natural rhythm, or it woun't move the way you want it too. Balance and harmony with your element is the most important thing, not power or force." He now moved himself into a stance that Toph was a little confused by. Yunru was unable to see any of this, but he did hear his movements. Once secure in his stance Aang did something that was very unlike him. He moved his right hand to punch Yunru in the face. Toph felt her feet move her forward a little, but then they stopped. As did Aang's clenched fist, a inch away from Yunru's face. Yunru hadn't been aware of what was going on till the fist almost hit him. "Did you see that coming." Aang's voice got further away from Yunru as he pulled himself out of the stance and into a standing position.

"No." Was the students simple answer.

"Of course you didn't, you cant see with that blindfold on." He now moved , so his legs where a little further apart giving him better balance. "Now I want you to try and punch me, whenever you feel ready." Yunru moved himself into the stance Aang had moved into before he moved to punch him. An odd quite fell over the training area as Yunru waited to make his move. He wanted to draw it out as long as he could so Aang wouldn't see it coming, like he hadn't. Toph was still a little unsure about what Aang was planing, but she was starting to get a idea.

Yunru finally moved. His fist didn't make it as close as Aang's had to his target before it was blocked. Aang's left arm shout up and hit Yunru arm away, by hitting it at the wrist. Yunru almost jumped back, losing his footing as he did. His mouth feel open for a split second, as he lifted the blindfold up from his eyes. "I felt the air move as you moved to punch me." Aang now also lifted his blind fold up. "That is what I am going to teach you, to feel the movement of the air and then work with it." While he spoke his eyes had drifted towards Toph. She had stopped rubbing her arms for warmth, but he noticed her teeth chattering a little. That was till she gave a faint smile. It would seem that he had learned a little more than holding his ground and being stubborn from her training."Now put your blind fold back on and I'll explain the rules."

"Rules."

"Yeah, I told you this was going to be fun didn't I. This will be a kind of sparing section." Both airbenders moved back into that stance that had taken earlier. "The aim is to try and land a hit, either by a punch or a kick. The first to do so wins. The rules are you have to wear the blindfold at all times and no bending. This is all about how you see the air rather than who you move it."

"moving with it, rather than moving it."

"Right." Aang gave his student a unseen nod.

After this the silence came over the training area again. Neither made the first move right away. Toph stood watching the scene for a feel seconds before dropping down to sit on the short grass at her feet. She pulled her legs into her chest and wrapped her arms around her knees, trying to get a little warmer. She knew what they were both doing, waiting and listening. She had taught Aang that, and Yunru had tried to train as a earthbender before this, a slight frown crossed her face, this could take a while. She was about to yell out for them to get on with it, but before she could Yunru made the first move. He lunged forward to punch Aang. Aang felt the air rushing at him and moved to block the hit. Once he had done that he lifted his right leg and moved to kick Yunru on his left side. The kick landed and Yunru was knocked over a little but was able to stay standing.

"We'll make it best out of three." Aang patted Yunru on the shoulder as he moved back into his stance. A little reluctantly Yunru feel into his stance as well.

Again they waited. Toph felt Aang after a few seconds almost move to punch again but he stopped himself. She could tell what he was thinking, he knew that if he moved first he would land the hit. He didn't want that just yet, he wanted to give Yunru the chance to move first, so that the sparing would last a little longer, and he might not feel so bad about not being able to last very long in the spare. She felt a little proud of him for that, she would never have done that for him in their spares when she was training him.

Like before Yunru was the first to make a move. This time though he kicked out rather than punch. Aang quickly moved out of the way, then slowly moved to punch Yunru on the right side of his face. Out of shear luck Yunru was able to dodge the hit, as he was again moving to kick out again. This time Aang bocked it with his right arm, them punched Yunru with his left. This time the hot landed. Toph's face screwed up as she felt the force of the punch. Her head even flinched from facing forward. This time Yunru lost his footing and feel to the ground.

"Let's leave it there." There was no point going on any more, Aang had won two in a row, even if Yunru won the next one it wouldn't be enough. Aang reached out a hand to help Yunru up,while taking of his blindfold, which he took. Once he was on his feet and had removed his blindfold he noticed Aang's gaze had drifted towards Toph, his slowly followed. Toph was still sitting on the ground only she had now moved to sit cross legged. She could feel the eyes now on her and knew that Aang was up to something again. "Toph, will you help me show Yunru what it should like." A smile fought to cross her face as she pulled herself to her feet. This had been what he had meant when he asked her for her help in this lesson. He knew she wouldn't back out, he had manipulated her into this. For the first time she finally got a idea of what he must have felt like with her manipulating him into all of this in the first place.

Once in the training area with Yunru standing a few feet away, Aang replaced the blindfold again. "I'll go essay on you don't worry." His was oddly cocky, very unlike him.

Toph gave a slight nod of the head. "Thanks for that. I'll try and do the same." Her voice was overly sweet, also not very like her.

As a sign of respect between too masters, the bowled to each other, before taking up their opening stances. Yunru watched both of them closely, trying to see any sign as to who was going to make the first move. To the surprise of her opponent and the spectator Toph was the first to strike. She lunged forwards with her right hand, Aang blocked it with his left, but was then almost hit by a upper cut from Toph's left hand. She had used the opening move to cover her real intended blow. He wasn't going to be fast enough to block this hit so he had to jump back a few inches. Using this new distance to his advantage he now bent his right leg in and up to hip height he sent out a powerful kick, that Toph blocked by taking hold of his leg in both hands, then pushed back down to the ground as she did this she performed a cartwheel, getting herself away from any further attacks.

Both Aang and Yunru where left opened mouthed at this. As she pulled her arms in to her chest she continued pulling off a thin band she had been wearing around her left wrist to tie her long lose hair into a lose bun at the back of her neck. She didn't she the looks on the faces looking at her, but she felt their odd heart beats and knew what the reason for that was. "What. You didn't think I got to be a general just because I can boss people around did you."

The trade mark goofy grin speed across Aang's face. "You know what I kind of did."

"Can we get serious about this now." As an answer for her question Aang dropped to the ground, then spun round on his left leg, sending out his right leg as he did. Toph pushed herself into the air, tucking her knees into her chest as she did.

Once she had her feet back on the ground, she responded by sweeping her right leg across through the air in front of her, in the space Aang would move into once he pushed himself up. Aang avoided this by rather than moving straight up, he pushed himself forward. He ending up standing about an inch away from Toph. Feeling the new closeness, Toph let the rest of her body follow as she spun her leg around the rest of the way. As her back turned to face him, Aang felt her hair hit him in the face. She then dropped to the ground and kicked her leg out to hit his legs dead on, but he at the last second jumped back.

Despite not being able to see her, Aang gave the area he was sure she as standing in a self confident grin. Mirroring her move a little he took a step forward to kick Toph in the chest. Toph for the second time in less than a minute dropped to the ground to avoid the kick. Sending her hands back up she for the second time took hold of Aang's leg twisting it around, causing Aang to stumbling a little, as she calmly got to her feet. In a move that was very unexpected Aang bent his left leg and pushed off the ground. He spun round in the air, trying to kick her with his left leg. Out of surprise Toph let go off his leg, he feel to the ground. Aang was just able to tuck and roll so he landed comfortably. Not wanting to give him the chance to hit back, Toph bent her knees and pushed off into a back flip. This move didn't get the same kind of reaction as the cartwheel, but it still got a slight wide eyes reaction from Yunru.

They would never admit it, or let it show but they where both getting a little tired. Aang knew that Toph would last longer than Yunru, but he didn't expect her to be able to keep up the way she was. Toph was only surprised that Aang was really willing to hit out, she had always know him to avoid a fight at all coasts. "Your more agile than I thought." Aang had now pulled himself up, but he hadn't returned to his stance.

"Your stronger than I thought." Toph now let her arms drop to her sides, and pulled herself to her full height. The corners of her lip tilted upwards as she let out a laugh masked as a sigh. Aang also felt a smile cross his lips, but didn't fight it back as she did.

"How did you learn to do..."

"Am I the kind of person to live with a weakness, or try and fix it." This was a question that need no answer. She was most differently the former. She would try and fix any problem that she ever saw, she was a little like Katara in that.

Lifting his arms again Aang prepared to continue. "We should end this soon." She gave a nod as she moved to copy his stance. At almost the exact same time, they both started to run toward each other. Toph slowed down a little the closer they got, Aang didn't. When he was close enough, he punch out with his right arm. Toph was going slowly enough that she could turn, almost spin to her right to get out of its way. She then lifter her left leg to kick him in the gut. His free hand moved at lighting speed to knock her leg out of the way.

They where both facing each other again with only a few inched between them. A evil grin speed across Toph's face, she knew exactly what her next move would be. She clenched her right hand and swung it towards his face. Like she expected he lifted his left hand to block the punch, hitting against her wrist pushing it back. The last time they had been in this situation he expected her to try ad hit him again with her left hand. She hadn't done that and he ended up hitting her in the face and knocking her over. She hoped that if she hesitated for a second making him think she wasn't going to try and hit him again, like she did then, his guilty over the last time would then stop him from moving to block the hit. If she was then fast enough then she would be able to get a hit. Toph wasn't one to hold a grudge, but the chance to get back at him for that and win this spare was to good to pass off.

The first part went as planed. Aang blocked her first hit, but when she moved to make her second hit, he grabbed hold of her wrist stopping her hand just over an inch from his face. "That was a low blow." He held her wrist a little tighter before tossing it away. Out of sheer frustration and exhaustion. They both now clenched their right hands into fist and swung for each other. Their fists meant dead on. Both felt a sharp pain shout up their arms as the pulled their arm back, taking a step away from each other.

Toph was the first to speak, as she rubbed her sore hand, in much the same way Aang was doing. "Why don't we call it a draw."

"Sure." Aang pulled off his blindfold, with his good hand. Then offered his sore one to Toph to shake. After letting out a deep breath she took his bad hand in her bad one too. They only held hands for a second as it was still sore.

Aang's head turned to face Yunru as the student walk towards them, shouting to be heard. "That was amazing. Will I be able to look that good when I do that soon." Aang had to admit he was pleased by his student enthusiasm, but he didn't like the question.

"Yeah, maybe." Toph's voice was quite but firm. Before he could say anything she turned her attention to Aang. " I see you haven't gotten any faster."

Aang was about to responded, but couldn't think what to say. He would have pointed out that he was faster than her, but in truth she was almost as fast as him, almost. "So have you." His voice took on a mock sweet tone, letting her know that while he gave her complement he was also having a dig at how slow she had been.

"I know. I am fasted than you." She copied Aang idea of using a mock sweet tone and pulled it of much better. She had become an expert at that tone over the years.

"What did you say."

Toph emphasised each word was she repeated her words. "I'm" she pointed to herself. "Faster." She moved her arms at her side like she was running. "Than you." She pointed towards Aang a large fake sweet smile on her face.

"You really think that don't you."

"I don't think it, I know it."

"Really then..."

"What don't you two ran, then you'll know who's faster." Yunru had been slowly walking towards them since they had shock hand, ending the sparing. He was now standing about a foot away. Even though they had stopped fighting he still didn't feel very safe getting close to them yet.

Aang was the first to turn to face Yunru, he had his huge grin on again. Something about that worried the younger boy. "That's a great idea, what do you think Toph."

"I agree." Their tones had gone back to the fake sweetness of earlier. Yunru felt his mouth open to try and say something to stop them. I had been his ideas, but he had only suggested it as he thought they would be to tired from the spare to race and would leave it at that. Now he was worried he had made things worse.

"We'll race to there." As she spoke Toph pointed a out in-front of herself, and mover her hand to the right. As she did the earth she pointed at sunk into a trench marking the finishing line. "And we'll start from here. Like before no bending." Again as she spoke she bent a small thin trench to mark the place.

Toph and Aang got themselves in to position on the starting line. Kneeling down on one leg and stretching the other out behind them, their hands touching the earth at either side of the foot in front. Yunru took a few more steps back from them, still not really sure how this was going to work out.

"On the count of three." While speaking Aang lifted his upper body up a little, while lowered his head. Toph did the same a second later. "One.."

"Three." Toph shouted.

By the time Aang moved to run after her, she was already a good way a head of him. While she may have had the head start, she slowed a little giving Aang the chance to catch up. She true to her word was fast, and he couldn't fully catch up to her. An idea suddenly hit Aang, if she was going to cheat then so was he. Once he was close enough to her he pushed off with his legs, jumping at her. He grabbed hold of her around the waist, puling her down to the ground with him. As they hit the ground Aang was the first to make contact with the earth. He hit it with his back, causing him to roll over, with Toph still in his arms. She simply was pulled from one side of Aang to the other, never hitting the earth with much force.

When they didn't get up right away Yunru ran over to them. When he reached them, looking down onto them, he saw Aang lying flat on his back, and Toph lying on hers, with her legs lying over Aang's lower body, and her back over his right arm. His eyes then looked at their faces, and he saw that both of them where fighting back fits of laughter. They couldn't last forever and a few seconds later the laughter started. They laughed for how stupid they must look now, and how childish they had been acting. Mainly though they laughed because that had been fun. For the first time in a long time they where able to just relax a little and act like children again, not that they really where children any more.

Once they could control themselves Yunru helped them up. They unanimously decided to take a day off of training. Instead they took part in a series of races, that started of as a simple race, but was soon turned into a obstacle course. Toph took control of this from bending the earth at their feet to knock them over, to bending platforms and walls they had to climb of craw get around.

In the back of there minds was the fact that winter was coming soon, that the training would then have to stop Yunru would have to go home, and Toph and Aang would have to get back to their other jobs. For right now tough they where just having fun

* * *

**Thank you all for reading. The next chapter will be the last one for this part of the story. I enjoyed writing this chapter, especially the fighting. I am not sure if it comes across ok. The cartwheels and back flips I am not to sure if they work, I just thought it would be interesting to see the characters fighting with out bending or weapons, but for Toph to be doing it I don't know if it works. I would love to know what you all think of that. Also the part where Aang dose punch Toph in a way, is on part one of the story, last weekend together, if any one hasn't rad it and is interested. Thank you and please let me know what you think. **


	11. Chapter 11

"His mother is going to kill you, you know that right."

"No she won't."

"You got her son to shave his head, she is going to murder you. Avatar or not."

Aang lifted his eyes from the earthbender with crossed arms standing next to him, and looked at his student with the now bald head. In the pit of his stomach he started to worry, maybe Toph was right. The bright winters day sun shone off Yunru's head as he tried for the last item before leaving the air temple to bend an air scooter. Toph and Aang watched from the door-frame of the temple. He hadn't noticed them watching them yet, they choose to remain silent before they told him they had finished packing and where ready to go. "Sokka, Zuko and I all had shaved heads, kind off at his age."

"You did cause your an air nomad, he's not. Sokka and Zuko had, from what I know had partly shaved heads, to show they where warrior or royalty of their nations, again he isn't." She uncrossed her arms to gestured towards the student in-front of them. "Hair is very important for men in the earth kingdom. Why do you think they all have long beards. I heard you guys talking about Haru's moustache, thinking it was odd. Well in the earth kingdom it is perfectly normal, a sigh of manhood.

The worry in his stomach got worse. "She is going to kill me isn't she."

"No." She shock her head slowly. "She is going to murder you painfully."

"At least I didn't agree and give him the tattoos as well." Aang looked back at Toph, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. A gesture Toph hadn't seen him do in along time, it brought a faint smile to her face.

"That might get you a last minute reprieve." She placed a comporting hand on his shoulder. His hand moved without him really noticing it to rest on top of hers on his right shoulder. It stopped when he noticed Yunru turning to look at them, finally noticing their presence. This was when he finally became aware of what his hand was doing, and quickly moved it to his side again, as she took her hand from his shoulder. He glanced at her, and saw that she probably never noticed his movement, he felt a wave of relief at this, though he didn't really why.

"Are we going now." Yunru started to walk towards his masters. Toph gave a gentle nod, picked up her pack from where is lay at her feet and left the door-frame of the temple meeting Yunru half way in the middle of the training ground.

Aang was left standing on his own in the temple. He turned around to take one last look back into the temple, he wasn't sure when he would be back next, or even if he would be back. From the door-way he could see all the way along the long corridor that went along the ground floor of the air temple. At the far end of the corridor he could see out into the court yard at the centre of the air temple. If he squinted he could just make out the fountain in the middle of the court yard. The fountain had been broken and dented when they first arrived, but Toph had bent in back into place, or at least as close as she could get it. She and he and done a few more repairs to the temple over the last few days, as Yunru's training wound down a little and they had some free time. The temple had been surprisingly intact for the most part, so there wasn't much they needed to do. With the image in-front of him burned forever into his mind, and a faint smile on his face Aang turned back to face his student and master.

Appa was waiting for them, rested and ready to go. Aang wanted to try and make it back to Yunru's village by the start of the next day, so he let Appa rest for the past couple of days so he could make the long journey. Toph and Yunru sat in the saddle in silence. Yunru feel asleep after awhile, and Toph moved to sit at the front of the saddle so she could talk to Aang over the the sound of the air rushing past. After a while Aang stopped talking and Toph too feel asleep. Aang found his voice again, but when he turned round to face her he saw her curled up with Momo resting by her side.

The sun was starting to rise, starting another day when Aang caught sight of the village up ahead. Appa had been flying for almost a whole day now, Aang had only had a few hours sleep. That was only after Toph almost dragged him into the saddle and tied him up in his sleeping bag so he would rest. Between them Toph and Yunru were able to keep Appa on course. "We're almost there."

Toph who had been feeding Momo some bread, gave Yunru a soft kick with her foot to wake him. He wasn't really asleep he was just resting him eyes, at least that was what he said.

Aang guided Appa to land on almost the same spot he had landed him at the start of autumn. He was the first one to put his feet on the ground, with Momo on his shoulder. Toph followed soon after. Yunru took a minute to look at his village from this new angle. Taking in a breath as a self satisfied smile crossed his face, he bent the air around him to take him to the ground. He wasn't as smooth as Aang at this, and he was only slowed down a little by the help of the air, but he still landed with a hug grin on his face.

Toph who was the closest to him patted him on the back, and gently pushed him to start walking towards the village. Aang let them walk past him before he started to follow them. He was a little surprised by the way Toph was acting. It wasn't really that she was acting very differently, she just seemed to be a little softer. In truth though he had noticed her starting to soften since the end of the war. Is she was a waterbender he would have called her a defrosting ice queen, but as she was an earthbender he would have to think of an earth equivalent.

When they got closer to Yunru's house he started to pick up his pace. As he did that Toph and Aang slowed theirs. Before Yunru was able to step onto the porch the door of the house flew open his mother appeared from the darkness inside the house. Her arms opened to hug her son as he run to her arms. It didn't matter that they had only been apart for a season, or that he was twelve years old, all that mattered was that he was her son, and she his mother and they loved each other.

Aang and Toph stopped in the tracks a few steps from the porch. Neither of them really knew what it was to have a mothers love or a fathers. As much as they understood the idea, they could never fully understand the depth of the feeling that other people have for their parents. Scenes like this, while happy were a little uncomfortable for them. Aang glanced at Toph, as her hand lifted slightly, then dropped to her side again. He guessed that she must have been going to take hold of her mothers necklace, but decided against it.

Yunru's mother lifted her gaze from the top of her son's head to look at the two young benders standing in-front of the porch. She gave them a warm smile. "Thank you." neither was quit sure what she was thanking them for. They guessed it was for bringing her son back to her in one peace. It was only when she looked back at her son that she fully became aware of the fact that he no longer had any hair on his head. She had been aware that there was something different about him when she first way him, but it was his eyes that she had been focusing on and she was just so happy to have him back. Aang saw her face fall a little, before she sent her gaze onto him.

Before she was able to say anything, Toph stepped forward, standing slightly in-front of Aang. Blocking him from her gaze. "He can still grew a beard. That will symbolizes his nationality, and the bold head his bending skills." Her voice was different to anything Aang had ever heard her sound like before. It was almost like she was pleading Yunru's mother to not get angry.

As she let out a sigh, running her hand over her son's smooth head, the frown feel from her face. Toph felt Aang let out a deep breath, as his breath hit her on the back of her neck.

Yunru too had moved a little further in-front of his mother, in a way too he was trying to protect Aang. These actions by Yunru and Toph didn't go unnoticed by Aang. He felt very luck to have such a good master that still looked out for him, and a student that would step in if they felt they had too. To have such good friends, family really and a new member now.

When he started taking in what was going on around him again, Yunru was walking towards him, and Toph stepped back to stand by his side. When he was close enough, Yunru placed one hand over the other and bowed to his master. Aang slowly bowed to his student in return. When they pulled themselves up, Aang placed a hand on Yunru's shoulder. Yunru then took a step forward and hugged Aang. Aang slowly and a little uneasily hugged Yunru back. The memory of the time that he and Zuko had talked after the war, truly becoming friends came back to him. The fact that his place had changed felt very odd. This time he was the taller, older one.

Once they pulled apart, Yunru turned to Toph and before she could say a word he was right in-front of her wrapping his arms around her waist. Like Aang had done it took her a second for her to return the hug. She gently placed her arms around his shoulders. Also like Aang she found the fact that she was the taller, older one a little odd.

"You did great." Toph gently pulled him away from her, so he could she her face when she said this. She wanted him to know she was telling him the truth.

"Yeah, you did great. I couldn't have asked for a better first student." He felt some pressure on his shoulder. He turned to see Toph standing behind him, with a hand on his shoulder. He knew that what he had said would make them both happy.

"Thank you both so much. I..."

"Hey. Stop acting like we aren't going to see each other again. You have more training again next autumn. Right Aang."

Aang turned again to look at Toph. "Yeah of course."

Toph did her best to make eye contact with Yunru, giving a soft smile and a nod of the head. He did the same, before turning to Aang to give him a huge grin. He then turned and ran back to his house. He ran because he didn't know what else to say to them, and he wanted to make this as easy as possible. He didn't turn round till he was by his mothers side again. He saw their backs as they started to walk back to Appa.

Aang noticed Toph walking a little faster then normal. He thought that she was trying to walk faster so she could get away sooner, get away from the emotions. In part he was right. She brought her hands together in-front of herself, picking her nails. They were already wore down to the point they were raw. This was a habit she had picked up over the years, like holding her mothers necklace.

"So...where to now." "Aang." "I was thinking the." "Aang." her voice was getting louder now, but he still didn't really hear her. "Southern air temple. I really want to..." "Aang!"

He finally stopped. Turned to look at her. She looked like she had something big on her mind. For a second he worried that there was something really wrong, then he felt oddly calm. She was probably going to try and talk him into taking on another student or something like that. That didn't worry him any-more.

"I need to go back to the academy." She was still not facing him.

She felt him left out a sigh, his body relaxing. "Yeah of course. We'll stop there for the worst of the winter. Then we can..."

"No, I need to go back. You have to keep travelling." She now finally turned to face him.

"What are you talking about."

"I need to stop, you have to keep going."

"That makes even less sense."

"You are a air nomad an airbender, you have to keep travelling. I am a earthbender, I stay still. This was bound to happen at some point." With Momo still on her shoulder. Toph turned and started to walk towards Appa again. Just before she was out of reach, Aang grabbed hold of her wrist. Pulling her back, and causing her to lose her footing a little.

He didn't care if she could see or not, in her own way he was sure that she did. He set is sky grey eyes on her faded jade ones, looking right in them. "That is a loud of crap. Tell me what is really going on."

She hesitated for a second, but not for long. She had to be honest with him. "I'm tired."

"Your tired...of travelling" Her wrist slipped from his hand as he let it go. "I said we can sto..."

"No! I am tired of this." She felt his head moving, looking around to see if he could see what she was talking about. "Us." One small word, yet it held infinite meanings. Which one was she talking about, was it even just one.

It took Toph a few seconds and a couple of deep breath for her to calm herself after her outburst. She knew what she was going to say to him, what she didn't know was why she had just said what she had. "We keep arguing over everything. What to do about Long Feng, and taking on a student. We can never agree. I don't think its because we are so different really, or because you don't trust me. We just don't see things the same way, and it is so hard trying to see things that way you do, to make things easer. I need a break. So do you, admit it."

Everything she had just said was all true, it was just all the things that he had tried to deny. Toph was the one friend, family member that he still had to travel with him, he didn't want to lose her. He also didn't want to keep fighting with her either. Chewing his bottom lip, he turned away from her and started to walk back to Appa. Toph stood in the same spot, not knowing what to do. With out turning to look at her, Aang finally spoke. "I'll take you to the your academy." His voice was flat.

A few minutes later they where back on Appa. Aang at the reigns and Toph in the saddle. Once they where in the air again, Aang heard a faint voice from the saddle. It was the only thing that was said the whole of the rest of the trip, and he only heard the first part.

"Thank you...I'm sorry"

* * *

**Thank you for reading. I really hope you have enjoyed this part of the story. I should be moving onto part ten, which I don't have a name for just yet, soon. As no one has reviewed or made comments on the last chapter, I will have to assume unless someone says differently, that the fighting in the last chapter worked well. I have an idea of something a little similar in the next part. So if you hated it and fighting like that just doesn't work then now would be the time to say.**

**I also have a very very important question to ask. Where do you think Aang and Toph's relationship stands now. As this part and the next one are ad ons to the original story it is hard to fit in where they should be. So do they like each other, do they now they like each other. Do they think the other likes them. Are they starting to like each other. Also I should point out that if the last part with them felt like a break up, then that was the point. I wanted to have sort of break up with two characters that aren't going out. I hope that worked and didn't make it confusing in any way. **

**One last thing. The part Aang heard Toph say was thank you. He didn't hear the I'm sorry. **

**Thanks again, please let me know what you think. Bye. **


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